Who knew a small magnet could hold the power to fix one of space exploration’s biggest headaches?
For decades, astronauts have been haunted by a stubborn problem: producing oxygen efficiently in microgravity.
Traditional systems on the International Space Station rely on bulky, energy-hungry machinery to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water.
Every kilogram and watt counts in space, making this fluid management system impractical for long-duration missions.
Breathing space made easier
Now, an international team from the University of Warwick, ZARM at Bremen, and Georgia Tech has found a simpler solution. Using only small, off-the-shelf magnets, the researchers developed a system that passively separates oxygen bubbles from water during electrolysis without requiring extra power.
The trick lies in magnetic forces. In microgravity, gas bubbles refuse to float, clinging to electrodes and causing inefficiency.
By exploiting how water and electrolysis currents interact with magnetic fields, the team can guide bubbles to collection points or spin them away, mimicking the effect of a centrifuge, which requires minimal maintenance and no heavy equipment.
“We were able to prove that we do not need centrifuges or any mechanical moving parts for separating the produced hydrogen and oxygen from the liquid electrolyte. We do not even need additional power. Instead, it is a completely passive, low-maintenance system,” said Professor Katerina Brinkert, professor of Human Space Exploration Technologies & Director at ZARM.
Towards lighter space systems
Early experiments in Bremen’s Drop Tower and lab setups have already shown impressive results.
Oxygen collection efficiency increased by up to 240 percent, and the system works at nearly the same efficiency as terrestrial setups. The breakthrough opens the door to lighter, more robust life-support systems, a critical step toward sustainable human exploration beyond Earth.
The findings reflect four years of collaborative research. Álvaro Romero-Calvo of Georgia Tech first conceived the idea and conducted the initial calculations and simulations in 2022. He subsequently advanced a system for splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen using magnetic effects.
To validate and quantify the theory in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical setups, Katharina Brinkert’s team at Warwick (until 2024) and later ZARM designed experiments and devices for evaluation under microgravity conditions.
“During my trips to ZARM, we confirmed the magnetic buoyancy effect for phase separation in (photo-)electrolysis cells in multiple Drop Tower experiments, using electrode materials we in part fabricated at Warwick. I’m proud to have contributed to advancing sustainable energy technologies beyond Earth applications,” said Dr. Shaumica Saravanabavan, PhD researcher at the University of Warwick.
The next phase for the team is to validate the method in suborbital rocket flights, testing its performance in real space conditions. If successful, this tiny magnet could make breathing in space far easier.
The findings of the study, funded by the German Aerospace Center, the European Space Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have been published in the journal Nature Chemistry.