Technion researchers have developed a technology to improve hydrogen storage

The growing awareness of the damage caused to the environment by human activity – industry, transportation, electricity production and more – has led to a huge investment in alternative energies. One of the problems with these energy sources is the need to store the energy, since sources such as wind and sun are characterized by great volatility, in contrast to standard power plants and normal car batteries.

Hence the urgent need for efficient and non-polluting storage technologies. In this context, hydrogen is a promising material, and therefore hydrogen storage systems are being developed, such as hydrogen tanks for vehicle propulsion.

The two say: “The new knowledge is expected to contribute to the improvement of safer and more efficient storage systems, to the development of reliable sensors and to the design of advanced membranes for separating hydrogen. In addition, the research findings will help extend the life of critical components in hydrogen-based technologies – an important pillar in the transition to a green economy.”

Palladium is a very efficient metal in absorbing hydrogen and is therefore very relevant in the field of clean energy – among other things for hydrogen storage. Today it is known that the properties of palladium in this context are improved when it is produced in the form of nanometric particles. That’s why the Technion and Chalmers researchers created tiny, neat arrays of palladium particles and followed the absorption of hydrogen in these particles and its emission from them. Through precise tuning, the researchers achieved a dramatic improvement in the rate of hydrogen absorption in the particles and the pressure of the emitted hydrogen.

Many countries have pledged to zero their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and hydrogen is a critical component of this. The reason: hydrogen is an alternative fuel to coal, oil and natural gas, and its use is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from various sources, including transportation, production of materials and chemicals, and domestic and industrial heating. Unlike these fuels, which emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned, the use of hydrogen produces clean water and is therefore considered a clean fuel for transportation, industry, energy storage, heating, and more.