Key facts
- Stored in sealed containers, the samples showed no visible separation for more than a year. Storage stability was a key result of the laboratory tests.
- Researcher Pranay Mudaliar and Jerin John, an associate professor in the Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering department at Concordia University, produced the study. The work was published in Langmuir.
- When not moving, the gel acts more like a soft solid, which may reduce unwanted fuel movement and leakage. This behavior contrasts with its flow under force during injection.
- Because the gel is transparent, researchers could watch how fuel moves and burns. This optical property is part of the findings on how the gel behaves under different conditions.
Concordia University researchers developed a kerosene-based gel propellant made with kerosene, lecithin and a small amount of calcium chloride to improve how rocket and satellite fuels are stored and controlled, publishing the study in Langmuir on Sept. 8, 2026.
The researchers intend the gel for both rockets and satellites. The researchers say the material addresses a longstanding space propulsion challenge of keeping fuel stable during storage while allowing efficient flow when engines need it.
Concordia University issued a news release about the work on Oct. 29, 2026. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada funded the research. Pranay Mudaliar and Jerin John, an associate professor in the Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering department at Concordia University, produced the research. Mudaliar is listed as a researcher and John as an associate professor in the named engineering department at the university.
The researchers say liquid fuels can slosh inside tanks and complicate spacecraft control, while ordinary gel fuels are difficult to pump and spray into engines for burning. The formulation aims to balance these competing demands. Liquid propellants create sloshing that complicates spacecraft control, whereas conventional gel fuels resist pumping and spraying. The new design is meant to balance storage stability against flow efficiency.
In laboratory tests, the gel became about 100 times less viscous under increasing force, allowing easier flow for fuel injection. Viscosity describes a fluid’s resistance to flow. The team examined how the material reacted to force, temperature and chemical changes. Shear-thinning describes a material that becomes less viscous under force.
When not moving, the gel acts more like a soft solid, which may reduce unwanted fuel movement and leakage inside tanks. At rest, the material resists flow, limiting sloshing and leakage inside tanks. Under force, it thins enough to be delivered to an engine. This behavior contrasts with its flow under force during injection.
Samples kept in sealed containers showed no visible separation for more than a year. Storage stability was a key result of the laboratory tests. The gel did not separate over the year-long storage period, indicating long-term stability in sealed tanks.
Because the gel is transparent, researchers could watch how fuel moves and burns. Transparency offers a visual window into fuel motion and combustion behavior during observation. This optical property is part of the findings on how the gel behaves under different conditions.
The research gives a detailed picture of how the gel acts under different conditions and points to properties required for dependable fuel storage and delivery. The findings map gel behavior across force, temperature and chemical changes to support reliable propulsion design.
The research demonstrates that a kerosene gel based on lecithin can thin under force while remaining stable for long periods, two traits that conflict in fuel design, according to Scienmag. This contribution adds to the effort of addressing challenges in gel propellant development. Scienmag describes the study as combining shear-thinning flow with long-term storage stability, properties often in tension in propellant development.
Scienmag frames the laboratory findings as preliminary, noting they do not yet show how the gel will behave in operational rocket or satellite engines. The researchers say the gel’s real-world performance in engines remains an open question until tests in actual propulsion systems take place.
According to the team, the research lays a promising foundation for more development, yet researchers must test the gel in real propulsion systems to judge performance in spaceflight uses. The researchers call the work an early step rather than a finished propulsion solution. They say engine performance remains an open question until tests take place. The authors stress that actual engine tests are still needed before the gel is ready for spaceflight applications.
The paper, Rheology and Thermal Characterization of Lecithin-Based Kerosene Gels for In-Space Propulsion, appeared in Langmuir in 2026 and carries DOI 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c01168. Rheology is the study of how materials flow and deform.
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