Chinese scientists have made an unusual discovery while analysing the sample Chang’e-5 collected from the Moon’s surface in December 2020.
They found naturally occurring “few-layer graphene” for the first time, as state-run news agency Global Times reports, which could have major implications for humankind’s plans to make use of local resources once on the lunar surface.The discovery could also offer new insights into the early geological evolution of the Moon. As the South China Morning Post reports, it may even upend a long-held theory that the Moon was formed after a small planet collided with the Earth and that much of its carbon came from this impact
Using a form of non-destructive chemical analysis called “Raman spectroscopy,” the team confirmed the discovery of a type of few-layer graphene, which is graphene with anywhere between two and ten layers that can also be manufactured in a lab
