Living on Mars and relocating there have been popularized in science fiction for quite some time. Overcoming challenges such as the absence of essential chemicals like gas required for sustained habitation on the planet is crucial before this vision can be realized. The recent discovery of water activity on Mars, however, provides a glimmer of hope.
Scientists are currently exploring the feasibility of electrochemical water oxidation, powered by solar energy, to generate oxygen with the assistance of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. Rather than transporting these catalysts expensively from Earth, the focus is on developing a method to produce them locally using resources available on Mars.
A team led by Professors Luo Yi, Jiang Jun, and Shang Weiwei, supported by robotic artificial intelligence (AI) chemists from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has successfully synthesized and optimized OER catalysts from Martian meteorites.
Utilizing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to analyze the elemental composition of Martian ores in each experimental cycle, the AI chemist then conducts various pretreatments on the ores, including weighing them in a solid-dispensing workstation, preparing fuel solutions, isolating them from liquids at the centrifugation station, and solidifying them.
The resulting metallic hydroxides are treated with Nafion epoxy to create the working cathode for OER screening at the electrolytic workstation. Testing data are processed in real-time by the AI chemist’s computational “brain” through machine learning (ML) techniques.
The “brain” of the AI scientist employs molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemistry to evaluate high-entropy hydroxides with different chemical ratios, determining their OER catalytic activities using density functional theory. A neural network model is trained to predict the activities of catalysts with varying chemical compositions based on simulation data.
Through Bayesian efficiency, the “brain” identifies the optimal mix of available Martian ores for synthesizing the ideal OER catalyst. The AI scientist has successfully developed a highly efficient catalyst using five distinct types of Martian meteorites under robotic conditions. This catalyst exhibits significant mass and overpotential, enabling continuous operation for an extensive duration without degradation, even at Mars’ low temperatures.
The intricate catalyst efficiency achieved in just two months by the artificial intelligence scientist would have taken a human chemist over 2,000 years to accomplish. Efforts are underway to further leverage the AI scientist as a standardized platform for diverse chemical synthesis, showcasing rapid advancements in organic and inorganic substance discovery.
With the aid of AI scientists, the prospect of establishing an air production facility on Mars is within reach, with only 15 hours of solar radiation required to generate sufficient oxygen for human sustenance. This groundbreaking technology propels humanity closer to the goal of establishing a permanent presence on Mars.
