Tag: space

Collaborative Efforts Aim for Lunar Nuclear Power Amidst Materials Challenges

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

In a groundbreaking move that has sent ripples through the scientific press, Russia and China have announced plans to join forces for an ambitious collaborative space mission. The focal point of this partnership? The installation of nuclear-powered reactors on the surface of the moon by 2035, marking a significant leap forward in humanity's quest for … Continue reading Collaborative Efforts Aim for Lunar Nuclear Power Amidst Materials Challenges

Advancing microreactor materials technology: Next stop, the Moon!

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

Miniaturizing nuclear reactors offers a robust solution for generating reliable and efficient electricity, crucial for supporting human missions beyond Earth. Such miniturization is not at all an easy task. I have been pursuing research in this area since 2015, when we designed a ~ 3x3 metre-sized small nuclear reactor core for biological shielding optimization studies. … Continue reading Advancing microreactor materials technology: Next stop, the Moon!

Consolidating nanocrystalline aluminium crossover alloys for extreme environments

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

We are re currently exploring nanocrystalline aluminum alloys to understand how they perform in extreme conditions such as energetic particle irradiation and high temperatures. Aluminum alloys are ideal for challenging environments, given their versatility, lightweight nature, and favorable properties. In a recent preprint led by Patrick Willenshofer, we discovered and reported for the first time … Continue reading Consolidating nanocrystalline aluminium crossover alloys for extreme environments

Montanuniversität Leoben highlights its research in Space

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

On 8th November 2023, the Montanuniversität Leoben hosted a special event to introduce its research and development strategy for Science in Space in collaboration with the European Space Agency. The new rector, Professor Peter Moser, stressed the necessity for new materials as humankind ventures further into space. Professor Moser also mentioned the extreme conditions of … Continue reading Montanuniversität Leoben highlights its research in Space

Metal Hydrides will Enable Space Exploration

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I am glad to share with the community our newest paper on the fabrication of pure and bulk delta-phase Zirconium Hydride for use as moderators in microreactors. 50 days' free access here: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1hv1X_UwYx0wLC Hydride moderators are envisaged for use in nuclear reactors for neutron thermalization, i.e., to reduce the kinetic energy of fast-born neutrons. This … Continue reading Metal Hydrides will Enable Space Exploration

Our candidacy to the ESA’s Facility Definition Team on Materials Science

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

We have submitted our candidacy to the European Space Agency to integrate the Facility Definition Team (FDT) of Materials Science. We aim at bringing to ESA our expertise in investigating metallurgy for space applications. Our focus is to design new lightweight metallic materials that are capable to resist the harsh environmental conditions often found in … Continue reading Our candidacy to the ESA’s Facility Definition Team on Materials Science

New H-based materials for use in micro-nuclear-reactors

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

We just got a preprint available in arXiv.org for the general audience: "Fabrication of bulk delta-phase Zirconium Hydride from Zircaloy-4 for use as moderators in microreactors" (arXiv:2305.02249v1) In this manuscript, we performed a complete electron-microscopy characterization of the delta-phase Zirconium Hydride (delta-ZrH) currently under manufacturing, research and development to be used as moderator materials in … Continue reading New H-based materials for use in micro-nuclear-reactors

Nanocrystalline lightweight alloys for space exploration

~ Matheus A. Tunes ~ Leave a comment

We continue in our saga aiming at finding better radiation-resistant materials for applications in the extreme environment of the solar system. I am delighted to introduce you our new paper that was led by Patrick Willenshofer (another genius from Montanuniversitaet Leoben). In this paper, we introduce a revolutionary nanocrystalline crossover aluminium alloy that scored the … Continue reading Nanocrystalline lightweight alloys for space exploration