Spaceflight originally harnessed the high specific impulse of hydrogen produced from methane containing natural. The reverse challenge now aims to produce hydrogen through electrolysis then synthesize methane using in-situ Martian resources. Technology advancements and climate priorities have now positioned hydrogen fuel and its derivatives to revolutionize terrestrial transport on the roads, high seas, airways. Electrolyzers must be made smaller, more efficient, cheaper, and capable of delivering hydrogen at the high pressures of tank storage, pipelines, or fuel synthesis reactors. Alternative Energy Materials (AEM) has licensed a novel material set and manufacturing process developed at Washington State University (WSU) that combines a vanadia-yttria co-doped zirconia electrodes (VYZ) with additive manufacturing which embeds microchannels within functional ceramic layers. This VYZion system operates at high pressure to use 15% less energy, reduce system complexity, facilitate a 100-fold power density improvement, and integrate with high-pressure thermochemical reactions such as methanation. This technology can support space-flight missions by producing hydrogen, methane, or oxygen for propellant, life-support or power via ISRU. The proposed work scope includes a techno-economic task analyzing spaceflight requirements, establishing performance benchmarks, identifying commercialization opportunities, estimating production costs, supporting this analysis with five demonstrations validating VYZion’s potential across five spaceflight applications. The proposed work scope leverages existing facilities and expertise to advance the VYZion concept from TRL3 to TRL4 while addressing the project goal of demonstrating VYZion performance capabilities exceeding state-of-the-art for one or more spaceflight applications. NASA funding would impact commercialization of a low-cost and robust electrolysis system with a multitude of spaceflight and terrestrial applications.

The versatility of a carbon-tolerant high-pressure VYZion electrolyzer could serve five different in-situ resource utilization and spaceflight applications: i) filling compressed oxygen tanks via solid-state electrochemical pumping, ii) long-duration energy storage aboard ships, habitats, or rovers, iii) oxygen production from CO2, iv) oxygen and methane propellant production from co-electrolysis of steam and Martian atmosphere, and v) scavenging unused methane propellant for power and water.

VYZion electrolyzers would enable hydrogen fueling infrastructure without on-site storage that would deploy as rapidly as EV charging stations. VYZion power modules would electrify construction equipment, trains, ships, and long-haul aircraft applications poorly served by batteries. VYZion integrates with pressurized chemical synthesis for ammonia, methanol, and renewable natural gas production