A promising step towards more effective hydrogen storageJune 17, 2008An international research team led by Swedish Professor Rajeev Ahuja, Uppsala University, has demonstrated an atomistic mechanism of hydrogen release in magnesium nanoparticles - a potential hydrogen storage material. The findings have been published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). It is becoming clear that cars of the future will have to move from using the combination of petrol and a combustion engine in order to combat global warming and potential oil shortages. One of the prime candidate technologies are fuel cells using hydrogen gas as fuel, chiefly because hydrogen is among the most abundant elements on earth and is able of producing energy through chemical reactions with oxygen in the fuel cells releasing only water - an environmentally benign by-product. Storing hydrogen gas in a compact way is, however, still an unsolved problem. Much research effort has been directed at absorbing hydrogen in metal powders, forming so-called metal hydrides. Magnesium may absorb up to 7.7 weight per cent of hydrogen, and has commonly been studied for this purpose, especially since fast loading and unloading of hydrogen can be accomplished by adding catalysts like iron and nickel particles. It has been speculated that the catalysts act as shuttles, helping to transport hydrogen out of the material. With the help of computer simulations of magnesium clusters at the quantum mechanical level, the Uppsala researchers and their colleagues have now been able to show in atomic scale how this happens and why only a small amount of catalysts are necessary to improve the hydrogen release. The extensive simulations were performed at Uppsala University's Multidisciplinary Center for Advanced Computational Science (UPPMAX). "We expect the findings to aid further technical improvements of magnesium-based hydrogen storage materials, as well as other related light metal hydrides," says Professor Raajev Ahuja. Uppsala University |
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| Related Hydrogen Storage Current Events and Hydrogen Storage News Articles Computer predicts reactions between molecules and surfaces, with 'chemical precision' Good news for heterogeneous catalysis and the hydrogen economy: computers can now be used to make accurate predictions of the reactions of (hydrogen) molecules with surfaces. An international team of researchers, headed by Leiden theoretical chemist Geert-Jan Kroes, published on this subject this week in the journal Science. Hydrogen Storage Gets New Hope A new method for "recycling" hydrogen-containing fuel materials could open the door to economically viable hydrogen-based vehicles. Delaware State U. scientists refine hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle power plants Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) can be an important part of the solution to America's energy crisis, says Dr. Andrew Goudy of Delaware State University. He is leading a research team striving to solve a key technical FCV puzzle. Researchers demonstrate reversible generation of a high capacity hydrogen storage material Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory have created a reversible route to generate aluminum hydride, a high capacity hydrogen storage material. Feather fibers fluff up hydrogen storage capacity Scientists in Delaware say they have developed a new hydrogen storage method - carbonized chicken feather fibers - that can hold vast amounts of hydrogen, a promising but difficult to corral fuel source, and do it at a far lower cost than other hydrogen storage systems under consideration. A touch of potassium yields better hydrogen-storage materials An international research team, including Professor Rajeev Ahuja's research group at Uppsala University, has shown that small additions of potassium drastically improve the hydrogen-storage properties of certain types of hydrogen compounds. New storage system design brings hydrogen cars closer to reality Researchers have developed a critical part of a hydrogen storage system for cars that makes it possible to fill up a vehicle's fuel tank within five minutes with enough hydrogen to drive 300 miles. Researchers Create Catalysts for Use in Hydrogen Storage Materials A team of scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and the Savannah River National Laboratory have identified that carbon nanostructures can be used as catalysts to store and release hydrogen, a finding that may point researchers toward developing the right material for hydrogen storage for use in cars. Revealing new applications for carbon nanomaterials in hydrogen storage An international research team, involving Professor Rajeev Ahuja at Uppsala University and researchers in the USA, set out to understand the mechanism behind the catalytic effects of carbon nanomaterials. Hydrogen tank lighter than battery Dutch-sponsored researcher Robin Gremaud has shown that an alloy of the metals magnesium, titanium and nickel is excellent at absorbing hydrogen. More Hydrogen Storage Current Events and Hydrogen Storage News Articles |
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