From lunar regolith to printed electronics

Lunar regolith contains 40–45% oxygen by weight, chemically bound within its mineral structure. Extracting that oxygen leaves behind a metal-rich residue. Rather than treating that residue as waste, the 'Regolith to Repairs: ISRU for Additive Manufacturing of Electronics' project is investigating how it can be transformed into conductive inks and powders suitable for printing electronic components directly on the Moon. Danish Technological Institute specialises in synthesising conductive materials and, through this activity, is developing new approaches for additively manufactured electronics by converting the metallic fraction of regolith into digitally printable inks and fusible powders. Christian Dalsgaard, pictured, is a Senior Consultant at Danish Technological Institute and the project's principal investigator.