Chinese side surpasses SpaceX Starship, new material puts NASA on edge: a global first!

Recently, a Chinese scientific research team successfully developed a new type of carbon ceramic material. Its temperature resistance under oxidative environments reached an astonishing 3600°C. Public information shows that the heat shield tiles of SpaceX Starship have a temperature resistance design of approximately 1371°C, which is already an advanced level in current engineering applications. However, the core of this breakthrough by the Chinese side lies in its unique "self-protection" mechanism. At high temperatures, a dense composite oxide protective layer spontaneously forms on the surface of the material.

The structure is ingenious — with tungsten-based substances as the framework, other elements forming high-viscosity oxides are filled in the gaps of the framework. This layer of "armor" can both encapsulate and protect the tungsten framework from further oxidation, and also acts like a sturdy gate, effectively blocking the continuous erosion and infiltration of external oxygen into the material. "This is the first time globally that a base material has been used at a temperature of 3600°C, breaking through the long-standing 3000°C limit barrier that has troubled the industry," the project team defined the significance of this breakthrough in this way.

Common metal materials generally have melting points far below 2000°C. Carbon-carbon composites can withstand temperatures close to 3000°C in inert environments, but their fatal weakness lies in oxygen-rich environments — severe oxidation occurs at around 370°C, causing a cliff-like drop in mechanical properties. However, China's achievement this time obviously solved this problem, which is why it attracted NASA's close attention. The competitive pressure faced by giants like SpaceX is precisely due to this silent yet potentially rule-changing "high-temperature revolution." The next high ground in the global space race may be quietly rising from the laser beams in the laboratory.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835072516724739/

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