Method for joule heating of lunar regolith and applications

Abstract

The application discloses a method for treating moon soil by joule heat and application thereof, and belongs to the technical field of moon resource development and utilization. The method comprises the following steps: grinding a moon soil base material, and then placing the moon soil base material in a carrier; placing the carrier containing the moon soil base material in a joule heat treatment device, vacuumizing a reaction cavity, and then introducing inert gas; vacuumizing and introducing inert gas repeatedly for several times, and then vacuumizing the reaction cavity; connecting the power supply of the electrode in the joule heat treatment device under the vacuum atmosphere, and performing joule heat impact treatment on the moon soil base material, maintaining the temperature, and then cooling to room temperature; repeating the joule heat impact treatment for several times, and obtaining the moon soil base material treated by joule heat. The moon soil base material treated by joule heat can be used as a cathode catalyst for hydrogen production by water electrolysis, and can be used for conversion of moon water ice resources, further reduces the dependence on earth supply, and improves the degree of in-situ utilization of moon resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of lunar resource development and utilization technology, specifically relating to a method and application of Joule heating for lunar soil. Background Technology

[0002] The Moon possesses a variety of exploitable resources, among which lunar regolith—the loose granular deposits covering the bedrock of the lunar surface—is the most readily available and abundant resource on the Moon. Furthermore, existing exploration results indicate that the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles also contain abundant water ice resources. Achieving in-situ utilization of lunar regolith, water ice, and other resources can reduce launch costs and enhance the autonomy of lunar exploration missions.

[0003] The main technologies for the development and utilization of lunar regolith include lunar regolith mineral sorting, high-temperature melting electrolysis, and hydrogen reduction. However, these technologies have low technological maturity, complex processes, high energy consumption, and require heavy equipment, making them unsuitable for future lunar exploration missions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new lunar regolith utilization methods that are simple, low-energy, and easy to engineer. Meanwhile, although lunar water ice resources can be converted into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis for the preparation of life support materials and fuels, this conversion relies on expensive electrocatalysts carried by Earth. If lunar regolith could be converted into a highly efficient water electrolysis catalyst, dependence on Earth for resupply could be further reduced. Therefore, a Joule heating method for lunar regolith is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a method and application for Joule heat treatment of lunar soil, thereby solving the problems in the prior art.

[0005] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A method for Joule heating lunar soil includes the following steps:

[0007] The lunar soil-based material is thoroughly ground before being placed in the carrier;

[0008] The carrier containing lunar soil-based material was placed in a Joule heat treatment device, the reaction chamber was evacuated, and then an inert gas was introduced; the evacuation and inert gas introduction were repeated several times, and then the reaction chamber was evacuated to a vacuum.

[0009] In a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply to the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment apparatus is turned on to subject the lunar soil-based material to Joule heat shock treatment, maintain the temperature, and then cool it to room temperature; repeat the Joule heat shock treatment several times to obtain the Joule-treated lunar soil-based material.

[0010] Furthermore, the lunar soil-based material is real lunar soil, simulated lunar soil, or a single mineral component of lunar soil, wherein the single mineral component of lunar soil includes: pyroxene, plagioclase, olivine, or ilmenite.

[0011] Furthermore, the grinding time for lunar soil-based materials is 5-60 minutes.

[0012] Furthermore, the carrier is one of graphite paper, high-purity graphite, carbon foam, carbon sponge, or tungsten boat.

[0013] Furthermore, the inert gas is one of argon, helium, and nitrogen; after the inert gas is introduced, the pressure inside the reaction chamber of the device reaches 10. 3 -10 5 Pa.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of times the vacuum is repeatedly evacuated and inert gas is introduced is 1-5 times.

[0015] Furthermore, the Joule thermal shock treatment is performed at a temperature of 1000-2500℃, and the temperature is maintained for 0.1-10 seconds at a time.

[0016] Furthermore, the Joule thermal shock treatment is performed 1-10 times.

[0017] The above-mentioned method of Joule heat treatment of lunar soil is applied in the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen.

[0018] Furthermore, in the aforementioned application, the Joule-treated lunar soil-based material is used as a cathode catalyst for hydrogen production via water electrolysis.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0020] 1. Lunar regolith has a complex composition, consisting of various components such as pyroxene, plagioclase, olivine, and ilmenite, and inherently lacks catalytic activity for water electrolysis. However, after treatment using the Joule heat treatment method provided in this invention, lunar regolith-based materials can be transformed into an amorphous structure. The amorphous lunar regolith-based material obtained using this method has more dangling bonds and defects on its surface, resulting in better catalytic activity. This amorphous lunar regolith-based material exhibits excellent catalytic activity for hydrogen production through water electrolysis and can be used as an electrocatalyst for lunar water resource conversion, further reducing dependence on Earth recharge and enhancing the in-situ utilization of lunar resources.

[0021] 2. The Joule heat treatment device used in this invention is simple, and the Joule heat treatment process for lunar soil is simple, efficient, and energy-saving, with rapid thermal shock treatment. Compared with other in-situ lunar soil resource utilization technologies, it is easier to implement in engineering applications in the lunar environment. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 The XRD diffraction patterns are those of untreated pyroxene and samples obtained in Examples 1-3;

[0024] Figure 2 These are high-resolution transmission electron microscope images of the sample obtained in Example 3;

[0025] Figure 3 Linear voltammetric scan curves of hydrogen production from water electrolysis in untreated pyroxene and samples obtained in Examples 1-3;

[0026] Figure 4 The XRD diffraction patterns are those of the simulated lunar soil from Chang'e 5 and the samples obtained in Example 4;

[0027] Figure 5 These are the linear voltammetric scan test curves of hydrogen production from water electrolysis obtained from the simulated lunar soil of Chang'e-5 and the sample obtained in Example 4. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] A method for Joule heating lunar soil includes the following steps:

[0030] S1, the lunar soil-based material is thoroughly ground and then placed in the carrier;

[0031] S2, the carrier containing lunar soil-based material is installed on the sample holder of the Joule heat treatment device, the reaction chamber of the device is evacuated, and then inert gas is introduced to make the reaction chamber of the device reach a certain pressure; after repeating the evacuation and inert gas introduction several times, the reaction chamber is evacuated to a vacuum.

[0032] S3. In a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply of the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment device is turned on to perform Joule heat shock treatment on the lunar soil-based material. After maintaining the set temperature for a certain period of time, it is rapidly cooled to room temperature. The Joule heat shock treatment is repeated several times to obtain the Joule heat-treated lunar soil-based material.

[0033] The lunar soil-based material is real lunar soil, simulated lunar soil, or a single mineral component of lunar soil, including pyroxene, plagioclase, olivine, or ilmenite, etc.

[0034] In S1, the grinding time is 5-60 min, more preferably 30 min;

[0035] In S1, the carrier is one of graphite paper, high-purity graphite, carbon foam, carbon sponge, or tungsten boat.

[0036] In S2, the inert gas is one of argon, helium, or nitrogen; after the inert gas is introduced, the pressure inside the reaction chamber of the device is 10. 3 -10 5 Pa;

[0037] In S2, the number of times the vacuum is repeatedly pumped and inert gas is introduced is 1-5 times.

[0038] In S3, the temperature of the Joule thermal shock treatment is 1000-2500℃, more preferably, the temperature of the Joule thermal shock treatment is 2000℃; the single holding time of the Joule thermal shock treatment temperature is 0.1-10s, more preferably, the single holding time of the Joule thermal shock treatment temperature is 2s.

[0039] In S3, the number of Joule heat shock treatments is 1-10 times, more preferably, the number of Joule heat shock treatments is 2 times.

[0040] The technical solution of the present invention will be specifically described below through the following embodiments;

[0041] Example 1

[0042] This embodiment uses the Joule heating method to treat pyroxene, which is one of the single mineral components that make up lunar soil. The steps are as follows:

[0043] S1, grind the pyroxene thoroughly for 30 minutes, and then place it in a tungsten boat carrier;

[0044] S2, the tungsten boat carrier containing pyroxene is mounted on the sample holder of the Joule heat treatment apparatus, the reaction chamber of the apparatus is evacuated, and then nitrogen gas is introduced to reach 10. 5 Pa. After repeating the evacuation and nitrogen gas introduction three times, the reaction chamber was evacuated to a vacuum.

[0045] S3. Under a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply to the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment apparatus is turned on to subject the pyroxene material to Joule thermal shock treatment. The Joule thermal shock treatment temperature is 1000℃, and the holding time at the Joule thermal shock treatment temperature is 2s, followed by immediate cooling to room temperature. This Joule thermal shock treatment process is repeated twice to obtain the Joule heat-treated pyroxene material, named pyroxene-joule heat-1000℃.

[0046] Example 2

[0047] This embodiment uses the Joule heating method to treat pyroxene. The steps are as follows:

[0048] S1, grind the pyroxene thoroughly for 30 minutes, and then place it in a tungsten boat carrier;

[0049] S2, the tungsten boat carrier containing pyroxene is mounted on the sample holder of the Joule heat treatment apparatus, the reaction chamber of the apparatus is evacuated, and then nitrogen gas is introduced to reach 10. 5 Pa. After repeating the evacuation and nitrogen gas introduction three times, the reaction chamber was evacuated to a vacuum.

[0050] S3. In a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply of the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment apparatus is turned on to perform Joule heat shock treatment on the pyroxene material. The Joule heat shock treatment temperature is 1500℃, and the Joule heat shock treatment temperature is maintained for 2s. Then, it is immediately cooled to room temperature. Repeat the Joule heat shock treatment process twice to obtain the Joule heat-treated pyroxene material, named pyroxene-joule heat-1500℃.

[0051] Example 3

[0052] This embodiment uses the Joule heating method to treat pyroxene. The steps are as follows:

[0053] S1, grind the pyroxene thoroughly for 30 minutes, and then place it in a tungsten boat carrier;

[0054] S2, the tungsten boat carrier containing pyroxene is mounted on the sample holder of the Joule heat treatment apparatus, the reaction chamber of the apparatus is evacuated, and then nitrogen gas is introduced to reach 10. 5 Pa. After repeating the evacuation and nitrogen gas introduction three times, the reaction chamber was evacuated to a vacuum.

[0055] S3. Under a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply to the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment apparatus is turned on to subject the pyroxene material to Joule thermal shock treatment. The Joule thermal shock treatment temperature is 2000℃, and the holding time at the Joule thermal shock treatment temperature is 2s, followed by immediate cooling to room temperature. This Joule thermal shock treatment process is repeated twice to obtain the Joule heat-treated pyroxene material, named pyroxene-joule heat-2000℃.

[0056] Example 4

[0057] This embodiment uses the Joule heating method to treat the simulated lunar soil from Chang'e-5. The steps are as follows:

[0058] S1. The simulated lunar soil from Chang'e 5 was thoroughly ground for 30 minutes and then placed inside a tungsten boat carrier.

[0059] S2, the tungsten boat carrier containing the simulated lunar soil from Chang'e 5 is mounted on the sample holder of the Joule heat treatment device. The reaction chamber of the device is evacuated, and then nitrogen gas is introduced to reach 10. 5 Pa. After repeating the evacuation and nitrogen gas introduction three times, the reaction chamber was evacuated to a vacuum.

[0060] S3. Under a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply to the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment device was turned on to perform Joule heat shock treatment on the Chang'e 5 simulated lunar soil. The Joule heat shock treatment temperature was 2000℃, and the temperature was maintained for 2 seconds, followed by immediate cooling to room temperature. This Joule heat shock treatment process was repeated twice to obtain the Joule heat-treated Chang'e 5 simulated lunar soil material, named Chang'e 5-Joule Heat-2000℃.

[0061] Experimental Test

[0062] Experiment Test 1

[0063] XRD tests were performed on untreated pyroxene and the samples obtained in Examples 1-3. The resulting XRD diffraction patterns are shown in the figure. Figure 1 As can be seen from the figure, the diffraction peaks of the pyroxene material gradually weaken with increasing Joule heat shock treatment temperature, indicating that the higher the Joule heat shock treatment temperature, the worse the crystallinity of the pyroxene sample. The pyroxene-Joule heat-treated sample at -2000℃ obtained in Example 3 showed no obvious diffraction peaks, indicating that it had completely transformed into an amorphous structure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of the pyroxene-Joule heat-treated sample at -2000℃ in Example 3 were taken, and the resulting images are shown below. Figure 2 As shown, no obvious lattice fringes can be observed in pyroxene at -2000℃, and the fast Fourier transform image further confirms that it is an amorphous structure.

[0064] Experiment Test 2

[0065] The hydrogen production performance of water electrolysis was tested using an H-type electrolytic cell on untreated pyroxene and the samples obtained in Examples 1-3. A three-electrode system was used, with an Hg / Hg₂SO₄ electrode and a graphite rod as the reference electrode and anode, respectively, and a glassy carbon electrode coated with pyroxene and the samples obtained in Examples 1-3 as the cathode. The electrolyte was an argon-saturated 0.5M H₂SO₄ solution, and the linear voltammetry (LSV) scan rate was 10 mV / s. The results of the water electrolysis hydrogen production performance test are shown below. Figure 3 The test results show that pyroxene, pyroxene-Joule heat -1000℃, pyroxene-Joule heat -1500℃, and pyroxene-Joule heat -2000℃ reach 10 mA cm⁻¹. -2The potentials required for the current density of hydrogen production by water electrolysis were 668mV, 628mV, 551mV and 389mV, respectively, indicating that the higher the Joule heat shock treatment temperature, the better the hydrogen production performance of water electrolysis. Among them, pyroxene completely transformed into an amorphous structure at Joule heat -2000℃ has the best hydrogen production performance by water electrolysis.

[0066] Experiment Test 3

[0067] XRD tests were performed on the simulated lunar soil from Chang'e-5 and the sample obtained in Example 4. The resulting XRD diffraction patterns are shown in the figure. Figure 4 The XRD test results show that the Chang-5 completely transforms into an amorphous structure at -2000℃.

[0068] Experiment Test 4

[0069] The hydrogen production performance of water electrolysis was tested using an H-type electrolytic cell on samples from the Chang'e-5 simulated lunar soil and the sample obtained in Example 4. A three-electrode system was used, with an Hg / Hg₂SO₄ electrode and a graphite rod serving as the reference electrode and anode, respectively, and a glassy carbon electrode coated with the Chang'e-5 simulated lunar soil and the sample obtained in Example 4 serving as the cathode. The electrolyte was a 0.5M H₂SO₄ solution saturated with argon gas, and the linear voltammetry (LSV) scan rate was 10 mV / s. The results of the water electrolysis hydrogen production performance test are shown below. Figure 5 The test results show that the simulated lunar soil and the Chang'e-5 Joule heat at -2000℃ reached 10 mA cm⁻¹. -2 The potentials required for the current density of hydrogen production by water electrolysis are 732mV and 460mV, respectively, indicating that the complete transformation into an amorphous structure at -2000℃ has better performance in hydrogen production by water electrolysis.

[0070] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "an embodiment," "example," "specific example," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0071] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. A method for Joule heating of lunar soil, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The lunar soil-based material is thoroughly ground before being placed in the carrier; The carrier containing lunar soil-based material was placed in a Joule heat treatment device, the reaction chamber was evacuated, and then an inert gas was introduced; the evacuation and inert gas introduction were repeated several times, and then the reaction chamber was evacuated to a vacuum. In a vacuum atmosphere, the power supply to the electrodes in the Joule heat treatment apparatus is turned on to subject the lunar soil-based material to Joule heat shock treatment, maintain the temperature, and then cool it to room temperature; repeat the Joule heat shock treatment several times to obtain the Joule heat-treated lunar soil-based material. The lunar soil-based material is real lunar soil, simulated lunar soil, or a single mineral component of lunar soil, wherein the single mineral component of lunar soil includes: pyroxene, plagioclase, olivine, or ilmenite. After introducing inert gas, the pressure inside the reaction chamber of the device reaches 10. 3 -10 5 Pa; The Joule thermal shock treatment is performed at a temperature of 1000-2500℃, and the temperature is maintained for 0.1-10 seconds at a time.

2. The method for Joule heat treatment of lunar soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The grinding time for lunar soil-based materials is 5-60 minutes.

3. The method for Joule heat treatment of lunar soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The carrier is one of graphite paper, high-purity graphite, carbon foam, carbon sponge, or tungsten boat.

4. The method for Joule heat treatment of lunar soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inert gas is one of argon, helium, or nitrogen.

5. The method for Joule heat treatment of lunar soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of times the vacuum is repeatedly pumped and inert gas is introduced is 1-5 times.

6. The method for Joule heat treatment of lunar soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Joule heat shock treatment is performed 1-10 times.

7. The application of the Joule-heat-treated lunar soil-based material prepared by the method of any one of claims 1-6 in hydrogen production by water electrolysis.

8. The application according to claim 7, characterized in that, The Joule-treated lunar soil-based material was used as the cathode catalyst for hydrogen production via water electrolysis.

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