Instead of storing energy like a conventional battery, the Martian battery generates electricity by continuously reacting with substances in the atmosphere.
Ensuring a stable source of energy for bases, rovers and equipment is one of the main issues that need to be resolved if humans want to explore and reside on Mars. A team of scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China proposed a solution: a special battery designed to exploit the Martian atmosphere, Interesting Engineering reported on October 8.
“This significantly reduces battery weight, making it more suitable for space missions,” the team wrote.
Mars is a harsh planet with a complex atmospheric composition, containing a lot of CO2 (95.32%), nitrogen (2.7%), argon (1.6%), oxygen (0.13%) and CO (0.08%). The planet also experiences large temperature differences, of about 60 degrees Celsius, between day and night.
Research published in journals Science Bulletindemonstrating the feasibility of using “Mars batteries” in the real conditions of this planet. The new battery can directly use gases in the Martian atmosphere as a fuel source, similar to how a fuel cell works, the team said. Instead of storing energy like a conventional battery, the Martian battery generates electricity by continuously reacting with chemicals, as long as fuel is available.
When discharged, the battery’s electrodes interact with Martian gases, creating a chemical reaction that produces electricity. When running out of power, the battery can be recharged with solar or nuclear energy to maintain operation.
Large temperature fluctuations on Mars could be a challenge, but the new battery is designed to overcome this. It can even operate continuously for months with a charge-discharge cycle lasting 1,375 hours (about two months on Mars). The team simulated the red planet’s extreme temperature variations to test the battery’s performance. As a result, the battery can operate at the freezing point of 0 degrees Celsius and reach an energy density of 373.9 Wh/kg at this temperature level.
The battery’s charging and discharging process involves the formation and decay of lithium carbonate, while small amounts of oxygen and CO in the Martian atmosphere act as catalysts, greatly accelerating the CO2 conversion process.
In the future, scientists will focus on developing solid-state Martian batteries with the ability to overcome the challenges of low pressure and fluctuating temperatures, paving the way for more advanced space exploration systems.
Thu Thao (Theo Interesting Engineering)