A Dutch researcher, Robin Gremaud has demonstrated a breakthrough discovery that could smash one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of a hydrogen economy – the weight of the heavy duty fuel tanks required to hold the gas. Gremaud has shown that a lightweight alloy of the metals magnesium, nickel and titanium is fantastic at storing hydrogen and offers an alternative to the hydrogen sponge also in development.

The relative weight of the alloy is estimated to be 60 percent lighter than a battery pack used in electric vehicles. Coupled with hydrogen’s ability to be used in both a traditional internal combustion engine and an electric engine via fuel cells, it could finally be a viable competitor in the green energy race.

In his search for metals that readily absorb hydrogen, Gremaud used a technique known as Hydrogenography, which enables the simultaneous analysis of thousands of different magnesium, nickel and titanium combinations. He is the first to use the technique to measure hydrogen absorption – traditionally it would have been painstaking work, with each test carried out individually.

Sources:
ScienceDaily and EurekAlert