Lomax, B. A., Just, G. H., McHugh, P. J., Broadley, P. K., Hutchings, G. C., Burke, P. A., Roy, M. J., Smith, K. L. and Symes, M. D. (2022) Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars. Nature Communications, 13, 583. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28147-5) (PMID:35136074) (PMCID:PMC8826910)
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Abstract
Establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon or Mars requires a secure supply of oxygen for life support and refueling. The electrolysis of water has attracted significant attention in this regard as water-ice may exist on both the Moon and Mars. However, to date there has been no study examining how the lower gravitational fields on the Moon and Mars might affect gas-evolving electrolysis when compared to terrestrial conditions. Herein we provide experimental data on the effects of gravitational fields on water electrolysis from 0.166 g (lunar gravity) to 8 g (eight times the Earth’s gravity) and show that electrolytic oxygen production is reduced by around 11% under lunar gravity with our system compared to operation at 1 g. Moreover, our results indicate that electrolytic data collected using less resource-intensive ground-based experiments at elevated gravity (>1 g) may be extrapolated to gravitational levels below 1 g.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | B. A. Lomax thanks ESA, Metalysis Ltd, and the University of Glasgow for funding through the ESA Networking/Partnership Initiative (4000125409/18/NL/MH/mg), and also thanks the UK Space Agency for support. G. H. Just acknowledges the support of the University of Manchester’s EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (EP/L01680X/1), ESA’s Network & Partnership Initiative (4000130229/20/NL/MH/hm), the FAIR-SPACE Hub (RN0344) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (EAC/KDF/OFFER/20/033). P. J. McHugh thanks the Royal Society for a PhD studentship. P. K. Broadley acknowledges the funding support of the University of Manchester’s EPSRC doctoral training partnership (EP/L01680X/1). G. C. Hutchings acknowledges the University of Manchester for support through the SEI Internship programme. P. A. Burke extends thanks to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for its support. M. J. Roy acknowledges support from the EPSRC (EP/L01680X/1) through the Materials for Demanding Environments Centre for Doctoral Training. M. J. Roy and K. L. Smith acknowledge support from the FAIR-SPACE Hub (RN0344). M. D. Symes thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (UF150104) and the EPSRC (EP/K031732/1). |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Lomax, Bethany and Symes, Professor Mark and McHugh, Mr Patrick |
| Authors: | Lomax, B. A., Just, G. H., McHugh, P. J., Broadley, P. K., Hutchings, G. C., Burke, P. A., Roy, M. J., Smith, K. L., and Symes, M. D. |
| College/School: | College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry |
| Journal Name: | Nature Communications |
| Publisher: | Nature Research |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| ISSN (Online): | 2041-1723 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2022 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in Nature Communications 13: 583 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
| Related URLs: | |
| Data DOI: | 10.5525/gla.researchdata.1210 |
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