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A new material developed by scientists could give a significant boost to a new generation of hydrogen-powered cars.
Like a bath sponge, the product can retain and release large amounts of gas at less pressure and cost.
Made up of billions of small pores, a single gram of the new aluminum-based material has a surface the size of a soccer field.
The authors say it can store the large volume of gas needed for practical trips without the need for expensive tanks.
Auto sales, especially the largest SUVs, have skyrocketed in the United States in recent years.
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Several automakers have introduced cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells in recent years
In 2017, CO2 emissions from cars, trucks, planes, and trains overtook power plants as the largest source of US greenhouse gas emissions. USA
In addition to developing electric vehicles, much attention has been paid to hydrogen as a zero-emission power source for automobiles.
Gas is used to power a fuel cell in cars and trucks, and if it is made from renewable energy it is a much greener fuel.
However, hydrogen vehicles suffer from some drawbacks.
Gas is extremely light: in normal atmospheric pressure, to transport 1 kg of hydrogen that could fuel your car for more than 100 km, you would need a tank capable of holding around 11,000 liters.
To avoid this problem, the gas is stored at high pressure, around 700 bars, so cars can carry 4 to 5 kg of fuel and travel up to 500 km before refilling it.
That pressure level is about 300 times higher than in a car tire, and it requires specially made tanks, all of which add to the cost of the vehicles.
Now researchers believe they have developed an alternative method that would allow the storage of large volumes of hydrogen at a much lower pressure.
The team has designed a new highly porous material, described as an organic metal frame.
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Hydrogen is stored under great pressure.
Called NU-1501, the product has been constructed from organic molecules and metal ions that self-assemble to form highly crystalline porous structures.
“It is like a bath sponge but with very tidy cavities,” said Professor Omar Farha of Northwestern University in the United States, who led the research.
“With a sponge, if you spill water and clean it, to reuse it, you squeeze it.
“With this material we use the same thing: we use pressure to store and release these gas molecules.”
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A fuel cell uses gas to generate electricity.
“So it works exactly like a bath sponge, except in a very clever programmed way.”
The key capability of the new framework is that it can potentially store hydrogen and other gases at much lower pressures without needing a huge tank.
“We can store huge amounts of hydrogen and methane within the pores of the organometallic structure and deliver them to the vehicle’s engine at pressures lower than necessary for the current fuel cell vehicle,” said Professor Farha.
His team has gained experience in developing these adsorbent materials for the US Department of Defense. In order to protect soldiers against nervous gas attacks,
The researchers say that funds are now available to develop this type of material for transportation applications.
The new material has already overcome the tough goals set by the US Department of Energy. USA For on-board storage and alternative fuel delivery systems.
But to go further, scientists will need significant acceptance from automakers.
The research has been published in the journal Science.
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.
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