Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 583
• Main Authors: Lomax, Bethany A, Just, Gunter H, McHugh, Patrick J, Broadley, Paul K, Hutchings, Gregory C, Burke, Paul A, Roy, Matthew J, Smith, Katharine L, Symes, Mark D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 08.02.2022; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Electrolysis; Gravitational effects; Gravitational fields; Gravity; Lunar evolution; Mars; Mars satellites; Moon; Oxygen; Oxygen production; Refueling; Terrestrial environments
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28147-5

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.