Quasi-1D Anhydrite Nanobelts from the Sustainable Liquid Exfoliation of Terrestrial Gypsum for Future Martian-Based Electronics

The sky is the limit with regards to the societal impact nanomaterials can have on the lives. However, in this study, it is shown that their potential is out of this world. The planet Mars has an abundant source of calcium sulfate minerals and in this work, it is shown that these deposits can be the basis of transformative nanomaterials to potentially support future space endeavors. Vitally, the methods applied are low cost and require no specialized instruments of great expertise, strengthening the potential involvement of nanotechnology in sustaining Martian inhabitation. Through a scalable eco-friendly liquid processing technique performed on two common terrestrial gypsum, this simple method presented a cost-efficient procedure to yield suspensions of large aspect ratio anhydrite nanobelts with long-term stability that are characterized through scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy shows nanobelts to have a mesocrystal structure, with distinct nanoparticle constituents making up the lattice. Unexpectedly, anhydrite nanobelts have remarkable electronic properties, namely a bandgap that is easily tuned between semiconducting (approximate to 2.2 eV) and insulating (approximate to 4 eV) behaviors through dimensional control measured via atomic force microscopy. To demonstrate the application potential of the nanobelts; optoelectronic, electrochemical, and nanocomposite measurements are made.