Due to Improvements, Hydrogen-Based Fuel Can Become Affordable

A team of experts from the University of Texas at Dallas and Washington State University announced that they are about to explore the benefits of an innovative technique, which would make the price of obtaining hydrogen-based fuel substantially decrease.

Very often, the process of obtaining this green fuel is expensive, because the catalyst used in this action is platinum or some other rare metal whose costs are quite significant.

At this point in time, this issue is half solved, since the experts brag about finding out that doped aluminum alloy surface can be a very efficient and, at the same time, cost-effective substitute. The aluminum is treated with a small amount of titanium in the process.

Scientists have already discovered the benefits of hydrogen usage, as an earth-friendly source of power for hybrid vehicles. One of the most important obstacles stop this kind of eco-fuel from becoming competitive with the traditional fuels is that the manufacturing process can turn out to be quite expensive.

"We've combined a novel infrared reflection absorption-based surface analysis method and first principles-based predictive modeling of catalytic efficiencies and spectral response, in which a carbon monoxide molecule is used as a probe to identify hydrogen activation on single-crystal aluminum surfaces containing catalytic dopants," says lead researcher Yves J. Chabal of the University of Texas at Dallas.

The scientists have studies the titanium-treated aluminum surface, applying controlled pressures and temperatures to notice the catalytic reaction which would take place near the atoms of titanium.

In order to make this reaction visible, the team of experts used the stereoscopic signature of carbon monoxide in the process.

The amount of titanium added to the trial helps the entire process by establishing a connection between hydrogen and aluminum, in order to obtain aluminum hydride.

Experts worldwide joined efforts to come up with realistic candidates for composite materials used to store hydrogen. Such a breakthrough would improve the fuel cell technology, while making hydrogen-based fuel more competitive and cost-efficient, on a market which struggles to fight with its oil dependency.