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Completed TRL 4 (started at 2, targeting 4)
The abundant high-energy light in space (with wavelengths as low as 190 nm, compared to 300 nm on Earth) makes the TiO2 co-catalyst an ideal approach for sustainable air processing to generate O2, without consuming any thermal or electrical energy. The combination of novel photoelectrochemistry and 3-dimensional design allows tremendous mass savings, hardware complexity reduction, increases in deployment flexibility and removal efficiency. Operation at near ambient temperature and pressure is inherently safer for the crew. The potential exists for the high tortousity photoelectrocatalytic air processor design to achieve more than an order of magnitude in combined mass/volume/power/cooling resource savings.The proposed work will demonstrate these drastic reductions in comparison to current technology with delivery of high-tortuosity device components allowed by advanced manufacturing (potentially in space) at the end of the proposed work.
The abundant light in space (with wavelengths of 190 nm vs. 300 nm on Earth) makes the TiO2 co-catalyst an attractive choice for sustainable air processing to generate O2, without consuming any thermal or electrical energies. The combination of novel photoelectrochemistry and 3D design allows tremendous mass savings, hardware complexity reduction, deployment flexibility and removal efficiency increases. Due to its near ambient temperature and pressure operation, the HTPEC air processor design is inherently safer and can potentially achieve at least two orders of magnitude mass and power savings, and enable compact processors for spacecraft. The 3D fabrication for spacecraft life support and ISRU applications, potentially in space, enables the sustainable space exploration. The proposed technology also has significant impact on terrestrial applications in emission gas reduction pertinent to automobile industry and power plants, and a way of chemical energy storage for off-grid power. The Phase I studies have attracted significant interests ranging from the 3D printing materials to the artificial photosynthesis approach from Silicon Valley industrials: research pioneer PARC, equipment manufacture Applied Materials Inc (POC: Dr. Hou T Ng, Hou_Ng@amat.com, chief Technologist office), optics company CRI (Phase II team member), start-up company MolyWorks (support letter attached) are all onboard to support our work at the different levels in market and technology advancement.
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