2026-10-06 コンコルディア大学
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2026/10/06/simulated-moon-soil-and-recyclable-thermoplastics-could-help-build-future-space-infrastructure-study-shows.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359836826006347
月面資源の現地利用における犠牲構造物用のリサイクルPEKK-レゴリス複合材料の循環型積層造形 Circular additive manufacturing of recycled PEKK–regolith composites for sacrificial structures in lunar in-situ resource utilization
F. Malekpour, M. Hojjati
Composites Part B: Engineering Available online: 21 July 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2026.114013
Highlights
- Recycled PEKK reclaimed from end-of-life sacrificial structures was successfully reused in a closed-loop additive manufacturing workflow for lunar ISRU applications.
- Incorporation of 30 wt% lunar regolith simulant preserved PEKK thermal stability and viscoelastic behavior.
- Mechanical performance was governed primarily by porosity, interlayer bonding, and architecture rather than polymer degradation after recycling.
- Amorphous gyroid lattices showed progressive densification and high energy absorption as sacrificial structures.
- Regolith incorporation improved dimensional stability and enabled reusable functional demonstrators.
Abstract
Circular additive manufacturing enabled by in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) offers a promising approach for fabricating sacrificial structures for long-duration lunar missions while minimizing material payload and waste. In this study, recycled poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK), recovered from end-of-life sacrificial components, was compounded with 30 wt% lunar regolith simulant (LRS) to produce a recyclable composite filament for material extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing. The recycled composite was processed by twin-screw extrusion and used to fabricate standardized mechanical specimens, Schwarz-G gyroid lattices, and a functional demonstrator. Thermal analyses showed that recycling and regolith incorporation preserved the thermal stability and crystallization behavior of PEKK, while the reduced cold-crystallization temperature indicated improved annealing efficiency resulting from enhanced thermal transport and heterogeneous nucleation by the ceramic filler. Dynamic mechanical analysis confirmed stable viscoelastic behavior in both amorphous and annealed conditions. Mechanical testing revealed orientation-dependent tensile and flexural properties governed primarily by porosity and interlayer bonding rather than polymer degradation. Compression testing of gyroid lattices demonstrated progressive plastic densification and high energy-absorbing behavior in the amorphous state under quasi-static loading, whereas annealing increased stiffness at the expense of ductility. A NASA-style ratchet wrench fabricated from the recycled PEKK/LRS composite demonstrated material reusability, while regolith incorporation significantly reduced annealing-induced shrinkage and improved dimensional stability. Overall, the results demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop additive manufacturing of sacrificial components using recycled PEKK reinforced with lunar regolith, supporting circular manufacturing strategies based on ISRU-compatible materials for future lunar exploration.
