TY - JOUR
T1 - Wettability characteristics of lunar soil particles from the Chang'E-5 mission
T2 - A single-particle surface analysis
AU - Zhang, Haotian
AU - Liu, Jun
AU - Yuan, Zhiping
AU - Li, Zhenxing
AU - Yao, Xiaoyu
AU - Xu, Qianghui
AU - Wang, Tongcai
AU - Zheng, Yanjie
AU - Wang, Gong
AU - Zhang, Hu
AU - Shen, Jun
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025
PY - 2025/9/1
Y1 - 2025/9/1
N2 - Lunar base construction has emerged as a strategic focus for global space agencies, with extrusion-based in situ resource utilization technologies recognized as a promising approach for utilizing lunar soil. However, a critical aspect of this technology lies in understanding the wettability characteristics between lunar soil and binding agents, such as water or resin. Here, the wetting dynamics were quantitatively analyzed through a custom-developed experimental apparatus combining ultra-deep field microscopy with a precision liquid evaporator. Our results demonstrate that the contact angle between a particle and water averages 108.73° with a standard deviation of 3.60°, thus indicating hydrophobicity. This phenomenon is primarily attributed to the distinctive surface morphology of the particle, characterized by adherent structures, porous architecture, and heterogeneous mineral fragments. Numerical simulations of droplet wetting behavior confirm that the Cassie-Baxter model accurately describes the observed phenomena. Through integrated experimental and computational analysis, we determined a surface tension of 8.46 mN/m between particles and water. For resin-particle interactions, the calculated Young contact angle of 96.18° exceeds the directly computed 91.90° from Young equation. This study establishes a novel framework for characterizing contact angles on micron-scale rough particles and provides crucial empirical support for extrusion-based extraterrestrial construction.
AB - Lunar base construction has emerged as a strategic focus for global space agencies, with extrusion-based in situ resource utilization technologies recognized as a promising approach for utilizing lunar soil. However, a critical aspect of this technology lies in understanding the wettability characteristics between lunar soil and binding agents, such as water or resin. Here, the wetting dynamics were quantitatively analyzed through a custom-developed experimental apparatus combining ultra-deep field microscopy with a precision liquid evaporator. Our results demonstrate that the contact angle between a particle and water averages 108.73° with a standard deviation of 3.60°, thus indicating hydrophobicity. This phenomenon is primarily attributed to the distinctive surface morphology of the particle, characterized by adherent structures, porous architecture, and heterogeneous mineral fragments. Numerical simulations of droplet wetting behavior confirm that the Cassie-Baxter model accurately describes the observed phenomena. Through integrated experimental and computational analysis, we determined a surface tension of 8.46 mN/m between particles and water. For resin-particle interactions, the calculated Young contact angle of 96.18° exceeds the directly computed 91.90° from Young equation. This study establishes a novel framework for characterizing contact angles on micron-scale rough particles and provides crucial empirical support for extrusion-based extraterrestrial construction.
KW - Cassie-Baxter wetting model
KW - Chang'E-5
KW - Lunar soil
KW - Wettability
KW - Young contact angle
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105003575241&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.163331
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.163331
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105003575241
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 702
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
M1 - 163331
ER -