Research Progress of Metallic Materials Under Space Station Conditions

doi:10.11900/0412.1961.2026.00062

Acta Metall Sin

2026, Vol. 62

Issue (5): 685-704 DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2026.00062

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Research Progress of Metallic Materials Under Space Station Conditions

HU Liang, WANG Haipeng, WEI Bingbo(

)

School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China

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HU Liang, WANG Haipeng, WEI Bingbo. Research Progress of Metallic Materials Under Space Station Conditions. Acta Metall Sin, 2026, 62(5): 685-704.

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Abstract

Outer space provides unique environmental conditions for investigating the physical and chemical properties of metallic materials, the mechanisms of phase transformation processes, and the regulation of microstructure and performance. In particular, it has considerable scientific significance and application value for the preparation of high-temperature, highly active metallic materials, as well as for the implementation of in situ resource utilization and space manufacturing. This study reviews the main research on metallic materials conducted under space experimental conditions since the 1960s and summarizes the materials science experimental platforms and their main functions on the Chinese Space Station, the International Space Station, and the Mir Space Station. Research progress in aspects such as melt flow, liquid properties, solidification structure, and extravehicular exposure is analyzed. The special phenomena and new laws unveiled through space experiments are clarified. Finally, the research and development trends of metallic materials for space manufacturing are prospected.

Key words: space station electromagnetic levitation electrostatic levitation thermophysical property undercooling rapid solidification

Received: 02 March 2026

ZTFLH:

TG111

Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(52088101);National Key Research and Development Program of China(2025YFF0520200);Space Utilization Program of China Manned Space Project(KJZ-YY-NCL401);Space Utilization Program of China Manned Space Project(KJZ-YY-NCL0501)

Corresponding Authors: WEI Bingbo, professor, Tel: (029)88431669, E-mail: bbwei@nwpu.edu.cn

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https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2026.00062 OR https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2026/V62/I5/685

Fig.1 Experimental facilities onboard the Chinese Space Station (CSS)
(a) multi-functional materials furnace onboard the “Shijian-10” (SJ-10) satellite^[11]
(b) materials experiment furnace onboard the “Tiangong-2” space laboratory
(c) containerless materials experiment rack (CMER)
(d) high-temperature materials experiment rack (HTMR)
(e) extravehicular materials exposure facility (Upper figure shows the closed state, and the lower figure shows the deployed exposure state)

Fig.2 Main materials science experimental facilities onboard the International Space Station (ISS)
(a) materials science research rack (MSRR-MSL) and low gradient furnace (LGF)
(b) electromagnetic levitation (EML)^[19,20]
(c) electrostatic levitation furnace (ELF)^[28,29]
(d) microgravity science glovebox (MSG)^[30]
(e, f) X-ray real-time imaging system (XRMON) for directional solidification (e)^[31] and isothermal solidification (f)^[32] (FOV—field of view, SOL—isothermal solidification)

Fig.3 Experimental facilities onboard the Mir Space Station
(a) microgravity isolation mount (MIM)^[33] (LMD—liquid metal diffusion)
(b) tubular furnace for integrated thermal analysis in space (TITUS)^[37]
(c) space acceleration measurement^[33]
(d) MSG^[33]

Fig.4 Typical results of melt flow in space
(a) Marangoni flow field in a silicone oil liquid bridge^[38] (L—distance, D—equivalent diameter, T_C—temperature of cold zone, T_H—temperature of hot zone, ΔT_t—temperature difference)
(b) flow image inside the electromagnetically levitated Pd-Si alloy melt^[42]
(c) melt flow velocities under electrostatic levitation (ESL) and EML^[44]
(d) flow field of Zr-V alloy droplets under CSS (u—flow velocity)^[46]

Table 1 Liquid thermophysical properties of Ni-, Fe-, and Ti-based alloys measured by space experiments^{[54,55,59-64]}

Table 2 Liquid thermophysical properties of amorphous alloys measured by space experiments^{[54,65,66,68,69,71,72]}

Table 3 Liquid thermophysical properties of refractory and rare metals/alloys measured by ESL in space^{[45,46,51,73-75]}

Fig.5 Typical research results of directional solidification in space
(a) columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) transformation of Al-7%Si alloy^[17]
(b) average spacing of dendrite trunks of Al-7%Si alloy^[83] (DAS—dendrite arm spacing, GM—ground, FM—space)
(c) mechanical and solute blocking CET transformation mechanisms in Al-20%Cu alloy^[86]
(d) directionally grown solidification microstructures of Al-MgSi₂ eutectic alloy in space and on the ground^[87]
(e) microstructure of Fe-based superconducting material and ground sample (inset)^[8]

Fig.6 Typical research results of deep undercooling and rapid solidification in space
(a) relationship between nucleation rate factor (A^*) and maximum flow rate of Zr₈₀Pt₂₀ alloy melt^[92,93]
(b) temperature-time plots of formation of metastable δ-Fe phase in Fe₉₀Ni₁₀ melt^[95]
(c) dendrite growth velocity of Ni₅₀Al₅₀ alloy melt^[96]
(d) dendrite growth velocity of Al-Ni melt and liquid/solid interface front morphologies of Al-25%Ni (atomic fraction) at different undercooling degrees^[97] (t—time, ΔT^*—critical undercooling)
(e) dendrite growth velocities of Cu-Zr and Zr-Cu-Ni alloy melts^[99]

Fig.7 Decoupled growths of rapidly solidified Nb_82.7Si_17.3 eutectic alloy in space^[100]
(a) separate preferential growth of (Nb) and Nb₃Si phases
(b, c) morphologies of (Nb) dendrites (b) and Nb₃Si dendrites (c)
(d1, d2) HAADF-STEM image and SAED pattern (inset) (d1) and atomic distribution of [

1 ¯

11] zone axis (d2) of (Nb) dendrite
(e1, e2) HAADF-STEM image and SAED pattern (inset) (e1) and atomic distribution of [001] zone axis (e2) of Nb₃Si
(f) nucleation rates (I) at different undercoolings and wetting factors (f(θ)—wetting factor)
(g) liquid/solid interface migration velocity (V) (LKT represents Lipton-Kurz-Trivedi model, BCT represents Boettinger-Coriell-Trivedi model, TMK represents Trivedi-Magnin-Kurz model)

Fig.8 Shrinkage, microstructure morphologies, and porosity of rapidly solidified alloys in space
(a) Nb_82.7Si_17.3 alloy spherical samples at undercoolings of 87 and 437 K^[46]
(b) internal microstructure of eutectic cells at undercooling of 87 K and surface morphology at undercooling of 437 K of Nb_82.7Si_17.3 alloy^[46]
(c, d) morphologies of freely-growing (Nb) (c) and freely-growing (Zr) (d) dendrites inside the shrinkage cavity of Nb_82.7Si_17.3 alloy^[104]
(e) surface wrinkles caused by solidification shrinkage of Ti_47.5Ni_47.5V₅ alloy^[64]
(f) porosity of Fe-19%Si alloy and internal morphologies of droplets (insets)^[60]

Fig.9 Rapid solidification of Zr-V alloy in space
(a, b) schematic of the ESL device onboard CSS and high-temperature spherical liquid droplets^[102] (T—temperature)
(c) surface ripples of Zr₆₄V₃₆ alloy, and the corrugated structure inside the ripples and the spiral microstructure composed of (Zr) and V₂Zr phases^[105]
(d) morphologies and schematics (insets) interconnected spiral microstructures, side-by-side spiral microstructures, and reversely connected spiral microstructures^[105]

Fig.10 Liquid phase separation and solidification of Ti-Co-Gd alloy in space environment^[47]
(a) temperature curve
(b) morphologies of phase separation microstructure
(c) distribution law of the average two-dimensional diameter of Gd-rich particles (

D ¯ 2 d

) along the dotted lines in Fig.10b
(d) schematics of microstructure formation during liquid-liquid decomposition in space and on the ground (S—supersaturation; I_max and S_max—maximum nucleation rate of the Gd-rich droplets and the maximum supersaturation of solute Gd in the matrix liquid as a function of r,respectively; r—radius of droplet; σ—surface energy; L1 and L2—liquid phases; v_M and v_S—Marangoni and Stokes motion velocity of droplets, respectively; θ—wetting angle)

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