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Moon's Far Side Yields Naturally Formed Carbon Nanotubes

1/22/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Jilin University researchers report finding one-atom-thick carbon nanotubes in samples from China's 2024 Chang’e-6 mission on the Moon's far side, indicating natural formation.
The nanotubes were detected with high-resolution electron microscopes.
Extreme conditions from micrometeorite impacts, solar wind, and ancient volcanic activity contributed to their formation.
The findings address a long-standing debate over whether such nanotubes can form without human engineering, and the work is published in Nano Letters.

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Story summary

Jilin University researchers report finding one-atom-thick carbon nanotubes in samples from China's 2024 Chang’e-6 mission on the Moon's far side, indicating natural formation.
The nanotubes were detected with high-resolution electron microscopes.
Extreme conditions from micrometeorite impacts, solar wind, and ancient volcanic activity contributed to their formation.
The findings address a long-standing debate over whether such nanotubes can form without human engineering, and the work is published in Nano Letters.