  The sky is the limit with regards to the societal impact nanomaterials can
have on our lives. However, in this study we show that their potential is out
of this world. The planet Mars has an abundant source of calcium sulfate
minerals and in our work, we show that these deposits can be the basis of
transformative nanomaterials to potentially support future space endeavors.
Through a scalable eco-friendly liquid processing technique performed on two
common terrestrial gypsum, our simple method presented a cost-efficient
procedure to yield the commercially valuable intermediate phase of gypsum,
known as bassanite. Through the liquid exfoliation of bassanite powders,
suspensions of large aspect ratio anhydrite nanobelts with long-term stability
were characterized through scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.
Transmission electron microscopy showed nanobelts to have a mesocrystal
structure, with distinct nanoparticle constituents making up the lattice.
Unexpectedly, anhydrite nanobelts had remarkable electronic properties, namely
a bandgap that was easily tuned between semiconducting (~2.2 eV) and insulating
(~4 eV) behaviors through dimensional control measured via atomic force
microscopy. To demonstrate the application potential of our nanobelts;
optoelectronic, electrochemical and nanocomposite measurements were made. For
the hydrogen evolution reaction and mechanical reinforcement, selenite-based
anhydrite nanobelts displayed superlative performances.
