A Compositional Study of Regolith Composites With Carbon Nanotube Additives for Extraterrestrial Construction

Abstract

Abstract As extraterrestrial construction becomes an increasingly relevant goal in society, it is crucial to identify materials that balance high mechanical performance and ease of sourcing. One such candidate material, suitable for lunar habitat construction, is lunar regolith in combination with urea. This research aims to develop a novel lunar regolith composite for improved material strength. In this study we explore the relationship between the loading of carbon nanotubes within lunar regolith composites and their resulting modification of mechanical properties and porosity. Previous studies have shown the incorporation of carbon nanotubes in various applications such as fly ash composites, increases mechanical properties of interest for the material. The formulation of the composite material consists of lunar regolith, urea, distilled water, phosphoric acid, and carbon nanotube powder. The results of this study will include an assessment of the compressive strength for specimens containing carbon nanotubes at different weight fractions of 0%, 0.25%, 0.50% and 1.00%. Uniaxial compression tests demonstrate a maximum compressive strength of 5.82 MPa. We were able to achieve a 23% increase in compressive strength with carbon nanotube additives over composites containing no carbon nanotubes. However, space habitats require thorough and repeated testing to protect the lives at stake in these extreme environments. This increase in compressive strength allows the development of such materials and will allow for more freedom within the structural possibilities available in space architecture.