With the connection to the International Space Station (ISS) of the Cygnus NG-11 cargo, launched from the Wallop Island base on 17 April, officially began the study Advanced Colloids Experiment with Temperature Control - 10 (ACET10), scientific directed by Roberto Piazza and Stefano Buzzaccaro, Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”. The aim of the experiments is to understand the mechanisms underlying the breakdown and aging of disordered "soft" solids. In order to develop a new colloidal system model  in which the attraction between the dispersed particles increases as the temperature increases: while at room temperature the system behaves like a liquid, at temperatures above 40 ° C, the particles adhere to the 'to each other forming a disordered solid called gel.

Thanks to the use of the Light Microscopy Module on the International Space Station it will be possible to study the microscopic structure of the gel and how it evolves over time.
The ACET10 investigation is part of a broader collaboration project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) aimed at the study with optical techniques of the restructuring and aging dynamics of disordered solids. Within this collaboration, Prof. Piazza and Dr. Buzzaccaro are among the responsible for the development of a newly developed Light Scattering apparatus, whose installation aboard the International Space Station is scheduled for 2021.

From Monday 17 June Stefano Buzzaccaro is at the Nasa Glenn Research Center to coordinate the start of the experimental activity that will continue until the end of July.
Stay tuned for updates!

For more information: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/