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Enabling Safe Hydrogen Storage Systems For developing novel materials for hydrogen energy storage
- Date : 22-10-14
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Hydrogen is considered a future clean energy source, and thus, building infrastructure and developing core technologies for hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization has attracted significant attention. Among the various hydrogen storage methods, metal hydride-based hydrogen storage systems are considered the safest method to store hydrogen.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Seokjin Yoon), headed by Dr. Dong Won Chun and Dr. Jin-Yoo Suh, the research teams of the Energy Materials Research Center, and Prof. Kyu Hyoung Lee from the Yonsei University (President Seoung-Hwan Suh), along with their research team, succeeded in the real-time monitoring of the dehydrogenation of metal hydride composites made of Mg and Fe with high nanometer-scale resolution. The joint research team observed the transition of hydrogen atoms from their initial state inside a metal hydride solid to the gaseous state as they move from the outside and calculated the amount of hydrogen that remains inside the metal hydride after the dehydrogenation process.
Meanwhile, physical properties of metal hydride were investigated by observing nano-sized samples through an electron microscope; therefore, the reliability of results is questionable. However, the researchers verified that the same phenomenon is reproduced in an experiment when the nano-sized sample (100 nm) is compared with bulk-sized metal hydrate samples (several mm) produced for commercialization. By minimizing sample damage caused by the electron beam, it is possible to observe the movement of hydrogen within the metal, bringing a new phase in the development of hydrogen storage.
Dr. Chun said "Hydrogen, with atomic number 1, has one electron and one proton, so it is difficult to observe its movement at the current level of technology, which analyzes the signal of electrons or protons. The research team has introduced a new methodology to observe hydrogen movement within solids. We will apply this technology to the new national challenge of developing solid hydrogen storage systems to build a safe hydrogen storage infrastructure. The final goal is to make hydrogen energy widely available in our daily lives."
The research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Jong-Ho Lee) and was carried out as a major KIST project and as a mid-career researcher project by the National Research Foundation of Korea. The results were published in the latest issue of “Advanced Functional Materials”, a specialized journal on materials and energy.
Figure 1. Real-time analysis of hydrogen atom movement and metal hydride dehydrogenation process.
Figure 2. Quantification results of hydrogen mobility through observation of hydrogen inside metal hydride.
- Journal : Advanced Functional Materials
- Title : Real-Time Monitoring of the Dehydrogenation Behavior of a Mg2FeH6-MgH2 Composite by In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy
- 2022.07.19.