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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Developing high efficiency and low maintenance carbon dioxide removal systems is critical for human space missions beyond low Earth orbit. Ionic liquids are molten salts with several unique attributes, including negligible volatility and the ability to selectivity dissolve gases such as carbon dioxide. However, the liquids must be stably supported within a polymer matrix to be implemented in microgravity environments. Therefore, this project will focus on designing new support polymers, processing the polymers into large surface area membranes, loading them with carbon dioxide-selective ionic liquids, and engineering their performance to improve carbon dioxide removal in microgravity environments.
The potential benefits of this effot are improved longevity and and thermomechanical performance/stability in CO2 capture and removal systems. This will be accomplished by reducing cost and weight for efficient CO2 removal to enable deep space operations, designing adaptable module designs enabling integration into other life support systems, and membrane design allowing for CO2 adsorption or capture, the latter can be fed into catalytic systems to manufacture CH4, HCOOH, and others with great efficiency.
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