Oxygen production by glow discharge in simulated Martian atmospheric conditions

Oxygen (O2) is essential for life support and rocket propulsion in Mars exploration missions, in-situ oxygen production from the Martian atmosphere is of profound scientific and engineering significance. This paper proposes a novel method for O2 production from Martian atmosphere using glow discharge ionization combined with a self-developed oxygen-permeable membrane (OPM). Experiments under simulated Martian atmospheric conditions examined parameter impacts on O2 production rate and assessed the OPM’s operating characteristics and glow discharge plasma tolerance. Results indicate: (1) Proportion of produced O2 positively correlates with ionization voltage under fixed discharge electrode spacing, pressure, and flow rate, reaching a maximum of 8.18% (saturating at 4600–5400 V); (2) The O2 yield rises with carbon dioxide (CO2) flow rate at constant pressure, the maximum value can reach 0.5 g/h; (3) Titanium (Ti) and molybdenum (Mo) electrodes exhibit higher application potential under high voltage conditions; (4) The OPM operates at temperatures above 800 °C and shows few changes in the main body sections after 24 hours of plasma tolerance testing. This study lays a foundation for future development of a mature Mars oxygen production prototype with lower energy consumption and higher efficiency.