US EditionUsing Magnetism for More Efficient Oxygen Production in Space
A simple neodymium magnet improves oxygen production during electrolysis in near-weightless conditions by dislodging gas bubbles, researchers report in Nature Chemistry.
- On August 18, 2025, an international research team led by Álvaro Romero-Calvo showed that positioning neodymium magnets close to electrodes enhances oxygen bubble release during water electrolysis under microgravity conditions, using experiments conducted at a drop tower facility in Bremen, Germany.
- This breakthrough responds to the problem that in microgravity, gas bubbles cling to electrodes and do not detach easily, hindering efficient oxygen and hydrogen production crucial for long-duration space missions.
- The team engineered passive, low-maintenance devices using off-the-shelf magnets that push bubbles away from electrodes by generating a magnetic buoyancy effect, allowing bubble collection without mechanical parts or extra power.
- The study published today in Nature Chemistry demonstrates that magnetic forces can enhance the efficiency of electrochemical cells by up to 240%, with Romero-Calvo highlighting that these forces offer a practical method to manipulate bubble behavior during electrochemical reactions in microgravity environments.
- This development offers a simpler, more efficient life support system for future space travel, and the team plans further validation through suborbital rocket flights to support human space exploration.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Using magnetism for more efficient oxygen production in space
Since sending the first human into space in the 1960s, the solution to one key challenge has remained elusive: the efficient and reliable production of oxygen in space. On the International Space Station, this problem is addressed by heavy and energy-intensive systems that are not ideal for long-duration space missions.
Since the beginning of manned space travel in the 1960s, one of the great challenges of space exploration has been to produce oxygen in space. Now, a scientific team has found a way to make it light, easy and sustainable, with magnetism. The entry Magnetism opens the door to a much more efficient oxygen production in space was first published in Digital Process.
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An international team manages to simplify the electrolysis of water in microgravity, paving the way for long-term missions Where have the birds gone?
Since the sending of the first human to space in the 1960s, the solution to a key challenge has remained elusive: the efficient and reliable production of oxygen in space. On the International Space Station, this problem is solved by heavy and energy-intensive systems that are not ideal for space missions [...]
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