Ceramic Material Processing Towards Future Space Habitat: Electric Current-Assisted Sintering of Lunar Regolith Simulant

Abstract

In situ utilization of available resources in space is necessary for future space habitation. However, direct sintering of the lunar regolith on the Moon as structural and functional components is considered to be challenging due to the sintering conditions. To address this issue, we demonstrate the use of electric current-assisted sintering (ECAS) as a single-step method of compacting and densifying lunar regolith simulant JSC-1A. The sintering temperature and pressure required to achieve a relative density of 97% and microhardness of 6 GPa are 700 °C and 50 MPa, which are significantly lower than for the conventional sintering technique. The sintered samples also demonstrated ferroelectric and ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. This study presents the feasibility of using ECAS to sinter lunar regolith for future space resource utilization and habitation.

Insights into Ferroelectric BaTiO3: Revealing Fundamental and Functional Aspects through Electron Spectroscopy

“…These materials can be categorized as ceramic, metal, or polymer matrix nanocomposite materials based on their matrix group [1]. New materials with unique functions and multifunctionalities are eagerly wanted as the need for performance and complexity in electrical and optical systems grows [2]. When compared to conventional single-phase films, nanocomposite thin-film materials and nanoparticles are seen to be among the most promising possibilities due to their advantages in size and physical property tunability [3][4][5].…”

Spark plasma sintering and optical characterization of lunar regolith simulant

“…To this aim, efficient technologies to convert natural regolith into bulk bodies are needed. In this regard, various methods, such as pressureless sintering [14], [15], microwave sintering [16]- [18], combustion synthesis based processes [19]- [22], impact procedure [23], high-pressure consolidation [24], spark plasma sintering [14], [25], [26], solar sintering [27], 3D-printing [28], etc., are considered in the literature. To facilitate powder densification, suitable polymers are also used as binders in some investigations [23], [24].…”

“…[17], where Apollo 17 soil was utilized. These simulants include JSC-1A (USA) [19]- [25], [28], JSC-2A (USA) [15], [27], [28], KLS-1 (Korea) [26], and FJS-1 (Japan) [14], [26]. In the present work, taking as case-study a lunar regolith simulant, we are aimed to set a characterization and material property assessment procedure to evaluate the potential of sintered regolith(s) for solar energy harvesting and thermal energy storage in an ISRU perspective.…”

Single-Step Fabrication of Au-Fe-BaTiO3 Nanocomposite Thin Films Embedded with Non-Equilibrium Au-Fe Alloyed Nanostructures

“…As the drive for performance and complexity of electronic and optical devices increases, new materials with novel functionalities and multifunctionalities are highly desired [1,2]. Nanocomposite thin film materials and nanoparticles are considered some of the most promising options given their advantages in both size and physical property tunability when compared to traditional single phase films [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”