A research team led by Andreas Stierle of DESY has recently laid the foundations for a substitute approach, storing hydrogen in small nanoparticles made of the precious metal palladium, only 1.2 nanometers in diameter.
As specified in a ScienceDaily report, an innovative method could transform nanoparticles into simple reservoirs for hydrogen storage.
The highly unstable gas is regarded as a potential energy carrier for the future, which could offer pro-climate fuels for lorries, airplanes, and ships, for instance, and enable climate-friendly cement and still production, depending on the manner the hydrogen gas is produced.
However, hydrogen storage is expensive; either the gas needs to be kept in pressurized tanks at up to 700 bar, or it needs to be liquefied. Meaning, it's cooling down to minus 253 degrees Celsius. Both methods are consuming additional energy.
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Palladium Absorbed by Hydrogen Like a Sponge
Essentially, explained Stierle, the fact that palladium can absorb hydrogen like a sponge has been common knowledge for some time.
Nevertheless, to date, getting the hydrogen from the material has again posed a problem, said Stierle adding. That is why the team tried palladium particles that are just about one nanometer across. Specifically, a single nanometer is a millionth of a millimeter.
To ensure that the small particles are adequately strong, they are stabilized by a core made of the rare precious metal iridium. To add to that, they are attached to graphene to support an ultra-thin layer of carbon.
Stierle, the DESY Nanolab's head reported that they could attach the palladium particles to the graphenes at two-and-a-half nanometer intervals, said DESY NanoLab.
This then results in a standard, regular periodic construction. The scientists, including researchers from the Universities of Cologne and Hamburg, published their findings in the American Chemical Society or journal ACS Nano.
PETRA III X-ray Source
This X-ray source of DESY was utilized to observe what happens when the palladium particles come into contact with hydrogen; importantly, the hydrogen is sticking to the surfaces of the nanoparticles, with hardly any of it penetrating inside, Phys.org said in a similar report.
Such nanoparticles can be pictured as similar chocolates, "an iridium nut" in the middle, enveloped in a palladium layer, instead of marzipan, and chocolate-coated on the outside by the hydrogen.
All one needs is to have stored hydrogen recovered is for a tiny heat amount to be added. The hydrogen is quickly emitted from the particles' surface since the gas molecules don't need to push their way out from inside the cluster.
Next, Stierle continued explaining; they want to know if storage densities can be attained through this new approach. Nevertheless, he elaborated that some challenges remain to be overcome before proceeding with real-world application.
For instance, other carbon structure forms might be a more appropriate carrier than graphene; the experts are regarding the use of carbon sponges containing small pores. Considerable amounts of the palladium nanoparticles need to fit inside these.
Related information about hydrogen storage is shown on EIT InnoEnergy's YouTube video below:
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