China's space station sets record by heating tungsten alloy over 3,100°C

【CMHnews】Chinese space scientists and taikonauts have successfully heated tungsten alloy to over 3,100°C inside the container-free material science laboratory cabinet, setting a world record, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.

    The container-free lab allows scientists to study heat-resistant materials under extreme temperatures in ways impossible on Earth. It also captures "hardcore data" unavailable through ground-based experiments, which in turn clears the path for the design of novel heat-resistant materials.

    This breakthrough was made possible through advances in two key technologies.

    On Earth, gravity interferes with alloy production: molten metal either sticks to containers like syrup, or it divides into density-based layers—similar to how oil and water separate. These effects make it nearly impossible to form alloys with a uniform composition.

    In microgravity, however, molten metal forms a sphere shaped by surface tension. Using electrostatic forces, the experiment cabinet can hold the metal steadily, suspending it in midair. It is completely free from container contact - neither contaminated nor disturbed - achieving true "container-free" conditions.

    The second experiment cabinet's dual-wavelength laser system combining semiconductor laser and a carbon dioxide laser, combined with a high-power 300-watt output, melts tungsten alloy, a metal with an extremely high melting point, into a stable liquid sphere.

    Together, these technologies enables researchers to observe phenomena impossible to study on Earth, such as how tungsten alloys flow after melting and how they crystallize during cooling, paving the way for the design of new heat-resistant materials in China.

    In the future, these materials could serve as the "armor" of spacecraft, capable of withstanding the raging flames when passing through the atmosphere, or serve as the "heart" of rocket engines, maintaining stable operation under extreme temperatures.

By Zhang Dongfang

Reposting from ECNS.Cn