Measurement of the temperature-dependent permittivity of lunar regolith simulants via microwave heating
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Beatriz Garcia-Baños*, Caroline O’Connell, Adrian Miró, Sungwoo Lim, Andrea Lucca Fabris, José Catalá-Civera
Establishing lunar infrastructure requires building structures like landing pads and habitats. Lunar regolith, a dielectric material, can be efficiently melted using microwave energy to create these structures by additive manufacturing. This study used Microwave Dielectric Thermal Analysis (MW-DETA) for the first time to measure in situ the complex permittivity of a lunar regolith simulant up to melting temperature (1000 °C). Dielectric properties measured in real time under microwave heating revealed a significant increase with temperature, indicating that regolith becomes more efficiently heated by microwave energy above the glass transition and melting points. These measurements enhance modelling accuracy for microwave heating processes and support the design of efficient processes for lunar construction with in situ resources.
Keywords: Lunar regolith, microwave heating, dielectric properties, high temperature, ISRU
Proscience vol. 10
Pp 35-40