Exploring Mars is one of humanity’s most ambitious goals, but it comes with huge technical challenges.
Among them is how to keep rovers, instruments, and future habitats running on a planet with extreme temperature swings and a thin, unusual atmosphere.
A new study from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) offers a promising solution: a “temperature-adaptive” charging method that could help Mars batteries last much longer. The findings were recently published in Advanced Functional Materials.
On Earth, lithium batteries already power much of our daily lives, from phones to electric cars. For Mars, scientists are studying a special type called lithium–Mars gas batteries (LMGBs).
These batteries don’t just store electricity; they can generate power directly by using carbon dioxide and other gases naturally found in the Martian atmosphere. That makes them especially appealing for space missions, where carrying every bit of fuel from Earth is costly.
However, Mars is not an easy place for batteries.
The planet experiences severe temperature changes—ranging from very cold nights to warmer days—and its atmosphere is a mix of gases not found in the same balance as on Earth.
These conditions cause the chemical reactions inside LMGBs to change in unpredictable ways. At low temperatures, the batteries tend to fail because a sticky layer of amorphous carbon builds up on their surfaces, blocking further reactions. At higher temperatures, the reactions speed up, but they can also create harmful by-products that damage the battery over time.
The research team, led by Professor Tan Peng, uncovered how temperature directly controls which chemical pathway dominates inside the battery.
At lower temperatures, the reactions follow a four-electron process that produces solid carbon. At higher temperatures, the reaction switches to a two-electron process that releases carbon monoxide gas. This switch not only doubles the reaction speed but also changes how solid products form on the battery’s electrodes.
Interestingly, the team also discovered that high temperatures encourage the formation of highly reactive oxygen species, which help break down unwanted lithium carbonate deposits.
This prevents the electrodes from being smothered by solid growths, a common problem in battery systems.
Using these insights, the researchers proposed a temperature-adaptive charging protocol. The idea is to take advantage of the natural day-night cycle on Mars.
During the warmer daytime, the battery would run in a high-temperature mode that promotes efficient breakdown of deposits. At night, when the temperature drops, the battery would switch to a slower, more protective charging mode that prevents harmful carbon buildup.
This smart strategy could give Mars rovers and future habitats a much more reliable power supply, ensuring they keep operating even during long nights.
If adopted, it may be a key step toward supporting sustainable human exploration of the Red Planet.
Source: KSR.
