EcoFactor: New storage system that uses Graphene sheets as layers of carbon nanotubes; helps hydrogen storage capacity match US Department of Energy’s target.
One of the major reasons why hydrogen has been not a popular fuel is our incapacity to store and transport the volatile gas under safe and acceptable conditions. The US Department of Energy sets 45 grams per liter as the target for hydrogen storage. The new technique developed by a group of scientists at the University of Crete, Greece, comes very close to hitting those numbers. The scientists have developed a technique in which hydrogen is stored in graphene sheets that are only one atom thick connected by vertical columns of carbon nanotubes. The storage capacity can apparently be further enhanced using lithium ions in the nanotubes.
Hydrogen is stored in the pores of the nanotube structure and can be transported safely. The new technique could see a revolutionary change in the way automobiles are built in the next decade.
The Dark Side:
Like so many other technologies that work brilliantly well in laboratory conditions, this one too is still to be tested on a commercial basis. Hopefully, it will not be long before the potential is translated to performance.
Via: CleanTechnica
