AI-powered robot chemist can synthesize and optimize oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts from Martian meteorites.
The AI chemist has created an excellent catalyst using five types of Martian meteorites under unmanned conditions.
The most effective catalyst discovered by the AI chemist can split water molecules at temperatures matching the Martian climate.
The robot AI chemist performs the entire process, including Martian rock pretreatment and analysis, catalyst synthesis, catalyst characterization, catalyst testing, and optimal catalyst search, without human intervention.
The robot chemist uses laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to analyze the elemental composition of the Martian ores.
A significant advancement in the field of space exploration has been made by a team of scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). They have developed an AI-powered robot chemist capable of synthesizing and optimizing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts from Martian meteorites. This development could potentially pave the way for oxygen production on Mars, a crucial requirement for human missions.
The robot chemist's proficiency lies in its ability to explore Martian meteorites, assessing millions of potential chemical structures, and synthesizing new molecules. It uses laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to analyze the elemental composition of the Martian ores. The resulting metal hydroxides are then treated with Nafion adhesive to prepare the working electrode for OER testing.
The AI chemist has been successful in creating an excellent catalyst using five types of Martian meteorites under unmanned conditions. The most effective catalyst discovered by the AI chemist can split water molecules at temperatures matching the Martian climate. This catalyst can stably produce oxygen without performance degradation for a long period of time at the Martian temperature of -37°C.
The robot AI chemist performs the entire process, including Martian rock pretreatment and analysis, catalyst synthesis, catalyst characterization, catalyst testing, and optimal catalyst search, without human intervention. The research team said that this robot AI chemist used machine learning to automatically and quickly identify the optimal catalyst among more than 3 million catalysts that can be made from meteorite components.
The robot has been used to create compounds from Martian materials that could be used to generate oxygen from the planet's water resources.
The robot's proficiency lies in its ability to explore Martian meteorites, assessing millions of potential chemical structures, and synthesizing new molecules.
The most effective catalyst discovered by the AI chemist can split water molecules at temperatures matching the Martian climate.
The robot AI chemist was able to create an oxygen generating catalyst from an actual Martian meteorite, and it was confirmed that this catalyst can stably produce oxygen without performance degradation for a long period of time at the Martian temperature of -37°C.
The robot AI chemist performs the entire process, including Martian rock pretreatment and analysis, catalyst synthesis, catalyst characterization, catalyst testing, and optimal catalyst search, without human intervention.
The research team said that this robot AI chemist used machine learning to automatically and quickly identify the optimal catalyst among more than 3 million catalysts that can be made from meteorite components.