Electrolysis in reduced gravitational environments: current research perspectives and future applications

Akay, Ö. et al. (2022) Electrolysis in reduced gravitational environments: current research perspectives and future applications. npj Microgravity, 8, 56. (doi: 10.1038/s41526-022-00239-y)

Abstract

Electrochemical energy conversion technologies play a crucial role in space missions, for example, in the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) on the International Space Station (ISS). They are also vitally important for future long-term space travel for oxygen, fuel and chemical production, where a re-supply of resources from Earth is not possible. Here, we provide an overview of currently existing electrolytic energy conversion technologies for space applications such as proton exchange membrane (PEM) and alkaline electrolyzer systems. We discuss the governing interfacial processes in these devices influenced by reduced gravitation and provide an outlook on future applications of electrolysis systems in, e.g., in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. A perspective of computational modelling to predict the impact of the reduced gravitational environment on governing electrochemical processes is also discussed and experimental suggestions to better understand efficiency-impacting processes such as gas bubble formation and detachment in reduced gravitational environments are outlined.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: E.C. acknowledges the financial support of the National Science Centre of Poland (NCN) under the OPUS program (UMO-2019/35/B/ST5/00248). M.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (UF150104). A.B., K.E., G.M., and X.Y. acknowledge support by the German Space Center (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) due to an enactment of the German Bundestag under Grant No. DLR 50WM1758 (project MADAGAS) and Grant No. DLR 50WM2058 (project MADAGAS II), the Federal State of Saxony in terms of the “European Regional Development 14 Fund” (H2-EPF-HZDR), the Helmholtz Association Innovation pool project “Solar Hydrogen” and the Hydrogen Lab of the School of Engineering of TU Dresden. Ö.A. and K.B. would like to thank the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry for Economics Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Germany, under Grant No. DLR 50WM2150 (project LiMo) for their support. All authors would like to thank the European Space Agency (ESA) for the support of this work through the ESA Topical Team activities “Interfacial Processes in (Photo-)Electrochemistry in Reduced Gravitational Environments (IPERG)”.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Symes, Professor Mark
• Authors: Akay, Ö., Bashkatov, A., Coy, E., Eckert, K., Einarsrud, K. E., Friedrich, A., Kimmel, B., Loos, S., Mutschke, G., Röntzsch, L., Symes, M. D., Yang, X., and Brinkert, K.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Journal Name: npj Microgravity
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2373-8065
• ISSN (Online): 2373-8065
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in npj Microgravity 8:56
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License