Scientists get a step closer to building a house on Mars. They have finally created Mars concrete-like material which is made of extraterrestrial dust.
Since transporting bricks to Mars could be outlandishly expensive, hence utilising whatever resources scientists can obtain on-site for construction is the only option.
Scientists from the University of Manchester demonstrated a common protein from blood plasma — human serum albumin and its wonder work.
This albumin could act as a binder for simulated dust from Mars to produce a concrete-like material.
It has been termed as AstroCrete. The material had compressive strengths as high as 25 MPa (Megapascals). This is about the same as the 20-32 MPa present in the ordinary concrete.
The data comes from an article published in the journal Materials Today Bio.
Moreover, researchers found that incorporating urea could further increase the compressive strength by over 300 per cent.
This new technique holds considerable advantages over many other proposed ones on the moon the red planet.
The researchers’ team also calculated that over 500 kg of high-strength AstroCrete (Mars concrete) could be produced during the two-year mission on Mars by six astronauts.
Earlier, animal blood was also used as a binder for mortar. The team also investigated the underlying bonding mechanism.
The blood proteins denature, or curdle form an extended structure with interactions known as beta sheets that tightly holds the material together.
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