University Assoc. Physics Prof. Bellave Shivaram and graduate student Adam Phillips have developed a mixture of metals and carbon that is said to absorb a record-breaking amount of hydrogen. In the context of engineering applications, especially in hydrogen fuel cells, this new material could lead to increased efficiency and lower costs.
According to Shivaram, the large amount of hydrogen the material can store is what makes it so unique; the University researchers' material can store twice as much hydrogen by weight, 14 percent, as the previous record-holding material.
Shivaram and Phillips presented their findings at Virginia Commonwealth University's International Symposium on Material Issues in a Hydrogen Economy. The symposium, held in Richmond, started Monday and ends today.
"I think the buzzword I keep hearing is 'interesting,' which of course means, 'I'm not sure about it,'" Phillips said. "But if it turns out right, it could be important."
As per University policy, Phillips and Shivaram are currently working on obtaining a patent through the University Patent Foundation.
"We've filed for a patent application, but the process takes a very long time," said Chris Harris, University Patent Foundation senior licensing manager. "Now we're looking for commercial partners to help us develop a product. The goal is to license the product to an established company."
With the patent process underway, Phillips and Shivaram will focus on testing their discovery to make sure the results are consistent.
"They'll continue to refine the technology and possibly improve on it," Harris said.
When the material was first discovered, for instance, the researchers used titanium, but since then, they have substituted other metals for titanium, Shivaram said.
Phillips and Shivaram are also ensuring that once hydrogen is absorbed, it is able to come out of the material.
"The people who want to use it as an energy medium would want to see the hydrogen go in and come out at any time," Shivaram said. "That's the goal of a lot of research in this field: to find a material that cycles the hydrogen."
Despite the possible applications of their discovery, Shivaram, a solid-state physicist, and Phillips do not typically deal with engineering issues such as hydrogen fuel cell efficiency.
"It's something that I found interesting, but I never really pictured doing it," Phillips said, noting that as he and Shivaram further explored hydrogen storage, he grew interested enough in the subject to make it his graduate work.
After the Richmond convention, the physicists will present their findings again at a University physics department colloquium.
"We'll talk about why hydrogen is important and then more specifically what we're doing with it," Phillips said.
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