NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION NASA-INSTITUTE-FOR-ADVANCED-CONCEPTS-(NIAC) PHASE I FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT ON 3D Photocatalytic Air Processor for Dramatic Reduction of Life Support Mass and Complexity April 27, 2015 Reporting period: 07/07/14 to 04/27/2015 From NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA Technical Point of Contact: Dr. Bin Chen Principal Investigator Tel: 650 6040310 Fax: 650 604 6779 Email:
[email protected] Co- Investigators: Darrell Jan Kenny Cheung John Hogan NASA Ames Research Center 1 3D Photocatalytic Air Processor for Dramatic Reduction of Life Support Mass and Complexity Final Report for the Period of July 07, 2014 to April 27, 2015 1. Summary To dramatically reduce the cost and risk of CO2 management systems in future extended missions, we have conducted preliminary studies on the materials and device development for advanced “artificial photosynthesis” reaction systems termed the High Tortuosity PhotoElectroChemical (HTPEC) system. Our Phase I studies have demonstrated that HTPEC operates in much the same way a tree would function, namely directly contacting the cabin air with a photocatalyst in the presence of light and water (as humidity) to immediately conduct the process of CO2 reduction to O2 and useful, “tunable” carbon products. This eliminates many of the inefficiencies associated with current ISS CO2 management systems. We have laid the solid foundation for Phase II work to employ novel and efficient reactor geometries, lighting approaches, 3D manufacturing methods and in-house grown novel catalytic materials. The primary objective of the proposed work is to demonstrate the scientific and engineering foundation for light-activated, compact devices capable of converting CO2 to O2 and mission- relevant carbon compounds.