A research team led by materials scientist Ralf Busch from Saarland University will conduct a week of experiments aboard the International Space Station starting August 31, 2026, to study metallic-glass alloys using electromagnetic levitation. The work is carried out in cooperation with the European Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Metallic glasses are alloys that solidify with a disordered, amorphous atomic structure rather than a crystalline lattice, making them stronger than steel while retaining elasticity and the ability to be formed like plastics at elevated temperatures. Busch's group has developed several patented ultra-high-strength alloys tailored for uses such as more efficient electric motors and aerospace components.
The ISS experiments will focus on nickel-niobium and nickel-niobium-sulfur alloy beads produced at Saarland University. Inside the Columbus module's Electromagnetic Levitator, installed in 2014, droplets will be heated to 1,700°C without a crucible to measure surface tension, viscosity, thermal expansion, supercooling, oscillation behavior, and heat capacity.
On Earth, strong electromagnetic forces are needed to counteract gravity, which distorts droplets and introduces flow patterns that interfere with measurements. Parabolic flights provide only 22 seconds of weightlessness per parabola, limiting data collection.
In the station's sustained microgravity, far smaller forces keep droplets stable and stationary, and each experimental cycle can last up to 45 minutes, yielding several hours of total measurement time. Doctoral researcher Lucas Eisenhut and senior researcher Fan Yang will control the experiments remotely from the DLR control center in Cologne with a live video feed.
The team expects significantly more precise property data than previous ground-based or parabolic-flight studies. Those results will feed further alloy development for spaceflight, medical technology, high-performance components, and everyday products. A follow-up ISS mission with a palladium-nickel-phosphorus alloy is already in preparation.
Saarland University's materials science department has a broader record of ISS research; professor Frank Mücklich's group previously studied antimicrobial surfaces on the station under the supervision of ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, a Saarland alumnus.
Levitating molten metal on ISS could refine ultra-strong metallic glass
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