Human beings are known for possessing a myriad of unique traits, and yet there is nothing more unique more about us than that relentless desire to grow on a consistent basis. We can claim what we did because the stated desire has already fetched us some huge milestones, with technology emerging as quite a major member of the group. The reason why we hold technology in such an esteemed regard is, by and large, centered on its skill-set, which realized all the possibilities for us that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we look beyond the surface, it will become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired from the way we applied those skills across a real world environment. The latter component, in fact, did a lot to give the creation a spectrum-wide presence and start what was a full-blown tech revolution. Of course, this revolution then went on to scale up the human experience from many different directions, but even after achieving a feat so notable, technology will somehow continue to bring out the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident in recent times, and assuming a new manufacturing-related initiative shakes out just like we envision, it will only propel that trend towards greater heights over the near future.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has joined a project led by NASA to scale up our 3D printing capabilities with the aim of manufacturing rechargeable batteries using lunar and Martian soil. According to certain reports, the whole effort is primarily focused on two types of 3D-printing processes i.e. material extrusion (ME) and vat photopolymerization (VPP) to produce shape-conformable batteries. But what really drove the researchers to make shape-conformable batteries the ultimate ingredient here? Well, you see, the stated battery type works around a particular design that outperforms existing commercial batteries due to their ability in filling out the dimensions of objects. Now, driven by such an unprecedented knack to fit in across any application, these shape-conformable batteries facilitate a smooth function for small spacecraft, portable power devices, robots, and large-scale power systems that are strictly focused on fulfilling lunar, Mars habitat, and other similar missions. However, not just that, this battery technology can even enhance the picture without leaving the Earth at all. To contextualize the statement, we can acknowledge how it can work alongside 3D-printed concrete walls connected to solar power generation and create compact, self-sustaining homes for disaster response, especially across developing countries where the infrastructure remains limited in its reach. Another detail worth a mention here is that, although our current landscape has a higher prevalence of commercial lithium-ion batteries, the project is expected to leverage sodium-ion battery chemistry, as the lithium’s availability on moon is lower than what the project will likely need.

“This project with NASA is an opportunity to demonstrate UTEP’s expertise in both energy storage and 3D printing,” said Alexis Maurel, Ph.D., French Fulbright Scholar in the UTEP Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “Additive manufacturing appears as a unique approach to manufacture shape-conformable batteries to support human operations in space and on the surface of the moon or Mars, where cargo resupply is not as readily available.”

During the early stage, both NASA and UTEP will direct their resources towards the extraction of battery materials and precursors from lunar and Martian regolith. Individually, UTEP has already developed 3D printed composite resin feedstocks for each part of the sodium-ion battery, whereas NASA, too, has prepared 3D printed composite inks for different battery components. Now, the entire project hangs on how well the two organizations can mesh their progress to realize a trajectory-altering breakthrough.

“UTEP is a seminal partner in this NASA-led project with our long and deep heritage in additive manufacturing,” said Eric MacDonald, Ph.D., professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and associate dean in the UTEP College of Engineering. “UTEP’s reputation in 3D printing, material science and our state-of-the-art facilities were important factors in convincing our NASA partners to pursue this potentially transformative research – for space exploration but for terrestrial applications of batteries as well.”