The Bubble Effect

Production of hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis is necessary for human space exploration. We address bubble nucleation, growth, and detachment during electrolysis.
© Joris Wegner, University of Bremen

Human colonization of space is limited by the availability of resources. In situ production of oxygen and hydrogen is an essential for space transportation systems and for life support. Electrolysis allows splitting water into its components, oxygen and hydrogen, using electric energy or directly solar energy. During this process, the nucleation, growth, and detachment of bubbles at the surface of the electrode, the "bubble effect", strongly affects the performances of the process and is gravity-dependent. In this project we will investigate the bubble effect on flat or nanostructured electrodes, in order to improve the electrolyzer design and operation under reduced gravity. This goal will be reached by combining materials science and engineering, time-resolved electro-analytical techniques, and multi-phase / multi-scale fluid-dynamic modelling.

Project Leader

Prof. Dr. Fabio La Mantia
Professor for Energy Storage and Energy Conversion System
University of Bremen

Wiener Str. 12, 28359 Bremen, DE
IFAM-Building, Room 1.5.13
+49 421 2246 7331
lamantiaprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de

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Updated by: Humans on Mars

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The Bubble Effect