A research team from China achieved a global first in confirming that single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphitic carbon occur naturally, the China National Space Administration announced on Tuesday.

The materials were found in lunar samples taken by the Chang'e-6 (CE-6) mission from the far side of the moon, which indicates that the region is more geologically active than the near side.

Researchers believe that the findings may inspire a paradigm shift in carbon science and offer new pathways for designing innovative, human-made materials.

The study suggested that the formation of these carbon nanotubes was closely linked to a combination of micro-meteorite impacts, volcanic activity and solar wind irradiation, which likely triggered an iron-catalyzed process under extreme conditions.

When comparing the CE-6 samples to those collected by the Chang'e-5 mission from the near side of the moon, the study found that the carbon structures in the far side samples exhibited more pronounced defects. This could be due to higher exposure to micro-meteorite impacts on the far side, revealing new differences in the material composition and evolutionary history between two sides of the moon.

This research, conducted by a team from Jilin University, was published in Nano Letters, titled "Discovery of Naturally Occurring Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphitic Carbon on the Far Side of the Moon."