Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

A 'hydrogen economy' for the replacement of current energy technologies was first proposed in the 1970s, and still remains a tantalizing vision. The depletion of hydrocarbon resources, along with environmental issues associated with fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources, currently lend much urgency to its development. A major barrier involves the storage of hydrogen as a fuel: H2 gas is not dense enough, and its liquefaction is much more challenging than for other gases. A suitable hydrogen storage medium (HSM) is required to absorb and release H2 on demand. While HSMs have been developed for simple technologies (e.g. nickel metal hydride batteries), the Holy Grail of a material suitable for vehicular hydrogen storage remains to be achieved. We have identified some promising candidates for novel HSMs, and a new means of reprocessing established HSMs which are currently not viable as vehicular fuel sources. We will carry out a programme consisting of two inter-linked projects. The first of these will explore the use of supercritical fluids in the preparation and processing of HSMs, and the second will prepare and study light metal hydrides, using a molecular route to the desired materials so that they  can be studied by structural and spectroscopic techniques, and control can be exercised over their composition.