A team of Korean scientists has developed a new method of storing hydrogen as a solid, easing potential complications associated with the commercialisation of fuel cell technology.
Hydrogen fuel cell technology, touted as the answer to our dependence on fossil fuels to power vehicles, is more efficient than internal combustion and produces zero CO2 emissions.
However, "because it is a gas and therefore has large volume, storing enough hydrogen is a major obstacle in making hydrogen vehicles efficient", the hydrogen and fuel cell research and development head at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hong Seong-ahn, explained to the Korea Herald.
Development teams have often opted for tanks pressurising the gas at 700 times ground level atmosphere, or liquefaction of the element at high pressure and low temperature. Both options pose potential safety concerns.
Yet researchers from Seoul University's School of Physics and Astronomy, under the guidance of Professor Ihm Ji-soon, have pioneered a technique that binds hydrogen using titanium into a stable solid that can be stored at low pressure and relatively high temperatures.
Describing the "amazing" breakthrough, PhD student Lee Hoon-kyung said: "The material binds hydrogen with absolutely no energy input and the hydrogen can then be extracted using relatively small amounts of energy."
Though still in need of further testing, the discovery could potentially pave the way for the commercialisation of safe and efficient fuel cells in vehicles.
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