Oz Researchers Zero In on Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Australian researchers are a step closer to helping produce vehicles using hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

The breakthrough that may make hydrogen fuel-cell technology a reality for millions of motorists is the use of tiny magnesium nanoparticles to store the hydrogen until it is ready to be used, says Curtin University of Technology professor Craig Buckley.

“It is easy to bond hydrogen with magnesium, and that is one reason why it is a good option as a storage material for hydrogen fuel cells,” he says in a statement.

“The problem is getting it back out to actually fuel the engine, because the temperature required to release hydrogen from magnesium is too high for a standard car engine.”

Buckley says nanoparticles are one possible way around this, because there have been theoretical calculations predicting that reducing the size of the magnesium particles will lower the temperature required to release hydrogen.

“In its normal state, magnesium needs to be heated to more than 300° C (572° F) to get the hydrogen back out,” he says.

“By using nanoparticles, we may be able to get the required temperature down, taking us one step closer to realistic hydrogen fuel cells for cars.”

To do this, the university’s research team used a process called ball-milling to create smaller magnesium nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are embedded in a salt matrix, which keeps them apart, stopping them from grouping back into larger particles.

“At this small size, the nanoparticles require slightly less heat to release the hydrogen than is required of larger magnesium particles,” Buckley says.

Using the process, he hopes to create even smaller magnesium nanoparticles.

“The goal is to get them so small that we only need to heat them to 100° C (212° F) to release hydrogen,” Buckley says.

“This will be tricky, but if we succeed, we will have helped provide a real solution for a low-carbon future.”

Honda Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell test car.