Efficient
removal of CO2 from enclosed environments
is a significant challenge, particularly in human space flight where
strict restrictions on mass and volume are present. To address this
issue, this study describes the use of a multimaterial, layer-by-layer,
additive manufacturing technique to directly print a structured multifunctional
composite for CO2 sorption with embedded, intrinsic, heating
capability to facilitate thermal desorption, removing the need for
an external heat source from the system. This multifunctional composite
is coprinted from an ink formulation based on zeolite 13X, and an
electrically conductive sorbent ink formulation, which includes metal
particles blended with the zeolite. The composites are characterized
using analytical and imaging tools and then tested for CO2 adsorption/desorption. The resistivity of the conductive sorbent
is <2 mΩ m, providing a temperature increase up to 200 °C
under 7 V applied bias, which is sufficient to trigger CO2 desorption. The CO2 adsorption capability of the conductive
zeolite ink appears to be unaffected by the presence of the conductive
particles, meaning a large fraction of the total mass of the structured
composite device is functional.