← Back to NASA Technology Projects
Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies are critical for enabling long-duration crewed missions. Reducing or even eliminatingEarth-launched supplies greatly reduces launch costs and advances operational flexibility via more robust resource utilizationcapabilities. In lunar in-situ fuel, oxygen, and water production, volatiles must be captured and separated both in the initial capturephase and throughout subsequent processing and refining. In its 2015 Technology Roadmap, NASA specifically called for research inmembrane-facilitated gas separations for these applications. This project aims to investigate the feasibility of supported ionic liquidmembranes (SILMs) for gas separations in lunar ISRU.SILMs consist of a porous membrane filled with an ionic liquid (IL) sorbent. ILs have shown promise in a variety of gas separationsand are more stable under low pressures and high temperatures than other liquids. SILMs have also been studied in carbon dioxideand humidity removal but remain at low TRL. The first objective of this investigation is initial ionic liquid identification andcharacterization, informed by literature review and screening for favorable characteristics which vary depending on the target gas.The second objective, membrane identification and SILM production, will be accomplished through screening of membranes andverified through chemical analysis. The third objective will be to conduct individual SILM performance testing, performed at varioustemperatures and pressures for a variety of mixed gas feed compositions. This will yield values for permeance of each membrane andwill verify their stability. The final objective is to assess the feasibility of a multi-stage SILM separation system for lunar ISRU gasseparations. Here, data from the third objective will enable chemical process modeling, and construction and testing of a small-scalemulti-stage system will verify the model’s feasibility assessment.This study addresses NASA’s need for membrane separation technology for lunar gas separations. Successful application of SILM gasseparations will bolster human spaceflight capability.
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.