Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2026 Jan 16;13(1):112.
doi: 10.1038/s41597-025-06428-0.

Materials dataset from microgravity levitation experiments on the China Space Station

Yanan Liu  1   2 , Shengyang Li  3   4   5 , Bo Yang  1   2 , Yunfei Liu  1   2 , Yunziwei Deng  1   2 , Jianding Yu  6 , Xuzhi Li  1   2   7
Affiliations

Materials dataset from microgravity levitation experiments on the China Space Station

Yanan Liu et al. Sci Data. .

Abstract

The China Space Station provides new opportunities for containerless materials research through its electrostatic levitation platform, enabling non-contact processing and property measurements of high-temperature materials in microgravity. This dataset presents experimental records from containerless electrostatic levitation experiments conducted both in orbit and through ground-matched experiments under matched configurations. The on-orbit facility integrates tri-axial electrostatic levitation, laser heating, infrared pyrometry, and high-speed diagnostics to support precise observation of materials during high-temperature processes. A ground-matched system with equivalent setup was developed to enable direct comparison between gravitational environments. The dataset contains 565 experimental records, including 420 on-orbit and 145 ground-matched experiments, covering metallic alloys, ceramics, and other material types. It provides key thermophysical parameters, including liquid-phase density and thermal response indicators, enabling systematic investigation of gravity-related influences on material behavior. This dataset offers a valuable resource for research in containerless materials processing, gravitational effect studies, and the development of space-based experimental techniques.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic of the EL system used on the CSS.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(a) Operation structure diagram of push rod in shaft mechanism. (b) Orientation of the shaft mechanism with respect to the gravity direction, including three representative configurations: horizontal (left), vertical (middle), and inverted (right).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
(a) Cartridge with integrated optical observation window for confirming sample positioning prior to experiment; (b) Rotary tray capable of storing up to 29 spherical specimens in predefined slots (e.g., 0#, 8#, 15#, 22#) for automated delivery to the levitation zone.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
(a) Time-temperature curve obtained from the ground-matched experiment. (b) Temperature-density curve obtained from the ground-matched experiment. (c) Time-temperature curve obtained from the on-orbit experiment. (d) Temperature-density curve obtained from the on-orbit experiment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ishikawa, T., Okada, J. T., Paradis, P.-F. & Watanabe, Y. Thermophysical property measurements of high temperature melts using an electrostatic levitation method. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.50, 11RD03 (2011). - DOI
    1. Ishikawa, T., Koyama, C., Oda, H., Saruwatari, H. & Paradis, P. F. Status of the electrostatic levitation furnace in the ISS-surface tension and viscosity measurements. Int. J. Microgravity Sci. Appl.39, 390101 (2022).
    1. Ishikawa, T., Koyama, C., Nakata, Y., Watanabe, Y. & Paradis, P. F. Spectral emissivity, hemispherical total emissivity, and constant pressure heat capacity of liquid vanadium measured by an electrostatic levitator. J. Chem. Thermodyn.163, 106598 (2021). - DOI
    1. Ishikawa, T., Paradis, P. F. & Koyama, C. Thermophysical property measurements of refractory oxide melts with an electrostatic levitation furnace in the international space station. Front. Mater.9, 954126 (2022). - DOI
    1. Ishikawa, T., Paradis, P. F. & Yoda, S. New sample levitation initiation and imaging techniques for the processing of refractory metals with an electrostatic levitator furnace. Rev. Sci. Instrum.72, 2490–2495 (2001). - DOI

LinkOut - more resources