3D Printing of Eco-Friendly Artificial Martian Clay (JMSS-1) for In-Situ Resource Utilization on Mars

Abstract

Permanent settlement on the surface of planets like the Moon and Mars is anticipated to be beneficial for long-duration exploration missions. The space agencies have developed several plans, along with other commercial partners, to build operational stations on such planetary bodies, which will be economical and resourceful to execute further missions into deep space. Therefore, the real integration of an advanced manufacturing technique is essentially a matter of further research to design and deliver critical subsystems utilising in-situ resources available on the surface of Mars. The Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique is becoming increasingly promising for developing complex structures by depositing multiple consecutive layers, unlike specific moulds required in the conventional manufacturing process. Therefore, to assess the feasibility of 3D printing with local resources technically, a recently developed artificial Mars soil simulant known as Jining Martian Soil Simulant (JMSS-1) has been processed to formulate clay useful for the extrusion 3D printing process. The developed Martian clay has been fabricated, characterised, and its dielectric properties measured at high frequencies for the first time. A stable aqueous clay has been developed containing less organics (< 10 wt% versus typically 30–40 wt%), which is amenable to resource-efficient 3D printing. A range of solid and porous structures of various shapes and sizes have been fabricated using a custom-developed material extrusion 3D printing system. The 3D printed artificial Martian clay sintered for 2 hours at 1100°C exhibited relative permittivity (εr) = 4.52, dielectric loss (tanδ) = 0.0015, quality factor (Q × f) = 7039 GHz. TCf = −19; and demonstrated similar properties at higher frequencies. This work demonstrates the progress in clay additive manufacturing and illustrates the potential to deliver components with functional properties through a “Powder to Product” holistic approach that can support long-term space exploration by utilising local resources available on Mars.