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<p>Developing in-situ functional materials for Mars is essential for sustainable habitat construction and load-bearing applications. However, most regolith-based fabrication methods rely on hydration or high-temperature processing, which are incompatible with the low-pressure, anhydrous Martian environment. Here, a regolith–polymer composite is developed using Martian regolith consolidated with a minimal fraction of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a recyclable binder. A low-energy process combining moderate pressure (100–350 MPa) and temperature (~220 °C) enables densification without water or oxygen, while enhancing HDPE crystallinity and interfacial bonding between particles and layers. The resulting composites exhibit high mechanical performance, achieving a compressive strength of 61 MPa and a modulus of 2.56 GPa at 10 wt% HDPE, comparable to conventional construction materials. Increasing the HDPE content from 10 wt% to 30 wt% induces a transition from a stiff, strength-dominated response to a more ductile, deformation-tolerant behavior. Thermal cycling over 30 simulated Martian day–night periods shows negligible degradation in mechanical properties. These results demonstrate a sustainable, resource-efficient material system for extraterrestrial manufacturing, enabling mechanically tunable structural components from locally available regolith and recycled polymer resources.</p>

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Regolith–polymer composites for structurally functional components in extraterrestrial environments

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月10日

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  • Xinnian Wang,
  • Juan Alanis,
  • Yinong Chen,
  • Didem Ozevin,
  • Yayue Pan

摘要

Developing in-situ functional materials for Mars is essential for sustainable habitat construction and load-bearing applications. However, most regolith-based fabrication methods rely on hydration or high-temperature processing, which are incompatible with the low-pressure, anhydrous Martian environment. Here, a regolith–polymer composite is developed using Martian regolith consolidated with a minimal fraction of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a recyclable binder. A low-energy process combining moderate pressure (100–350 MPa) and temperature (~220 °C) enables densification without water or oxygen, while enhancing HDPE crystallinity and interfacial bonding between particles and layers. The resulting composites exhibit high mechanical performance, achieving a compressive strength of 61 MPa and a modulus of 2.56 GPa at 10 wt% HDPE, comparable to conventional construction materials. Increasing the HDPE content from 10 wt% to 30 wt% induces a transition from a stiff, strength-dominated response to a more ductile, deformation-tolerant behavior. Thermal cycling over 30 simulated Martian day–night periods shows negligible degradation in mechanical properties. These results demonstrate a sustainable, resource-efficient material system for extraterrestrial manufacturing, enabling mechanically tunable structural components from locally available regolith and recycled polymer resources.