Is there a word for the substance that comprises Earth's mantle?

[parallaxicality]

I'd always assumed it was "magma" but apparently magma is just lava underground. Is there a word for the superheated rheid of olivine and pyroxine that comprises most of the substance of our planet?

[grant hutchison]

The olivine-pyroxene rheid is just the upper mantle, though. The lower mantle is thought to be primarily perovskite, with an admixture of other stuff, and it's the perovskite that is the most abundant mineral in the Earth.

Grant Hutchison

[headrush]

The olivine-pyroxene rheid is just the upper mantle, though. The lower mantle is thought to be primarily perovskite, with an admixture of other stuff, and it's the perovskite that is the most abundant mineral in the Earth.

Grant Hutchison

I read a report today which mentions perovskite as a wonder material for making solar panels more efficient. I knew I had heard the name before recently and so here I am.


"Solar power world record set with ‘miracle material’ perovskite" | The Independent

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-b1774312.html

[Swift]

I read a report today which mentions perovskite as a wonder material for making solar panels more efficient. I knew I had heard the name before recently and so here I am.


"Solar power world record set with ‘miracle material’ perovskite" | The Independent

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-b1774312.html

Perovskite the mineral has a nominal formulation of CaTiO₃. However, any crystalline material that has the same structure as that mineral (see image) is known as a perovskite. The generic formula for all of these are ABX₃, where A and B are generally metallic elements, and X is a non-metal, such as oxygen or one of the halides. But not only does a perovskite have the formulation, but it also has to have the same structure.



The perovskites in the mantle are believed to be primarily silicates, with compositions such as (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ and CaSiO₃ (the (Mg,Fe) means that you have can have mixtures of Mg and Fe, which together add up to 1).

The perovskite being used for solar cells also have the same structure, but are very different materials. They are halides, and one of the cations is a large, organic cation. (CH₃NH₃)PbX₃ is one of the most studied (LINK).

On a personal note, both my undergraduate advisor (Ephraim Banks) and my graduate advisor (Aaron Wold) did a lot of work on perovskites (link to one of their papers).

[headrush]

Interesting, thanks Swift.

[publiusr]

I think it is also going to be used in a gamma ray detector, as per Space Daily