Material Science
Material science concerns the chemistry, physical properties, and practical application of matter. The universe exhibits limitless material diversity, from worthless byproducts to ultra-rare substances so valuable their existence is kept secret.
Celestial processes shape the formation and settlement of elements and compounds into endless varieties. These processes form each and every star system into a unique environment of its own, inevitably possessing an abundance of some materials and a scarcity of others. Material analysts are highly valued in space exploration for the purpose of prospecting and material analysis.
Read more: Origins of Material Diversity
Elemental Variants
Elemental variants are the reason for much of the diversity found throughout space. These elements contain particles which change their atomic structure to give the atom unique properties.
Read more: Chemistry
Notable Variants
Listed below is a small selection of significant elemental variants.
Carboxysilvio - a family of crystalline structures used to make some of the highest-temperature superconductors currently known. They are composed of standard carbon, standard oxygen, and a selection of uncommon silver variants such as silver-i12o2. Carboxysilvio structures form via a complex process within particular pressure boundaries of planetary interiors. These worlds must be subject to cyclical powerful tidal forces, the fluctuation and pressure of which forms the complex crystalline structures over time. The formed material may eventually be pushed enough toward the surface to a point where it can be mined and extracted, after which it undergoes a series of manufacturing processes and layerings with other materials to form a high-temperature superconductor.
Carboxysilvio is found within worlds that at some point in their lifetime had a highly eccentric orbit around a massive parent body. All known significant sources are captured moons around gas giants, with the exception of Radalphus Wanderer.
Aluminite - an ultra-lightweight aluminum variant, found in powder form at the poles of some cytherean-type worlds. When alloyed with standard aluminum, the resulting material aluminide has only around 72% the density of standard aluminum, with marginal decreases in other material properties such as strength and rigidity. Aluminide is a valued component in spacecraft construction.
Aluminite forms most commonly in the upper atmosphere at magnetic poles of cytherean worlds. The magnetic field helps to contain and bond the particles into the aluminum while it is liquified and whipped through the atmosphere. As it cools, it falls as aluminite “snow”. It will revert back to standard aluminum if liquified again (after which it has the opportunity of converting back to aluminite).
Nanodymium - an ultra-magnetic variant of neodymium. Nanodymium can be alloyed with other elements to produce a material with one of the strongest known magnetic fields per unit mass. While useful for all applications that require magnets such as speakers and motors, nanodymium excels in applications where volume or mass are at a premium, such as in high-performance fusion drives.
Nanodymium forms within the cores of high-density planets that have significant quantities of the element neodymium and free intron particles to bind with them, and requires the planet be dense enough to contain the neodymium within the core for extended periods of time. While found in scarce quantities within the crusts of some planets, the vast majority of nanodymium supply comes from the ARY-244 belt.
Standard Element Science
While elemental variants may exhibit exotic divergence, their standard counterparts are capable of their own unique properties, dependent upon outward configuration.
Allotropes are different structural arrangements of atomic bonds, where the geometric shape of the bonds affect the properties of the material. Common natural examples include coal, graphite, and diamond, all of which are allotropes of carbon. Synthesizable allotropes can exhibit desirable properties or qualities which greatly exceed the abilities of their natural state.
Monolayer materials are sheets of atoms one-layer thick, arranged into specific geometric patterns to provide advantages for a specific purpose. Graphene is a hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms, a lightweight material that provides enhanced tensile strength and electrical conductivity. Monolayer materials can also be composed of multiple elements.
Metamaterials are materials manufactured to disrupt the flow of a particular waveform. They consist of non-homogeneous structures of elemental compounds specifically arranged to affect the flow of waveforms such as electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields, sound waves, or light. They have uses in a wide range of fields such as shielding and heat regulation.