Research Projects

The world's energy needs will be two-fold by 2050. Already, there is a huge demand for clean energy sources that do not add more carbon dioxide and other pollutants to the environment. Hydrogen being energy medium can be stored and transported. However, the issue with hydrogen is the safe & efficient storage of hydrogen. The world's approach or clean energy sources must be revolutionary approach in understanding and in controlling the chemical and physical interactions of hydrogen with nanomaterials. Hydrogen offers the opportunity to end petroleum dependencies and to virtually eliminate transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen as a fuel is the best choice because it is found abundantly in compounds like water that are widely accessible, and it produces no pollutants or greenhouse gases as by-products, and it converts readily to heat through combustion and to electricity through fuel cells that couple seamlessly to our existing energy networks. Nanoscience introduces new dimensions and virtually untapped new dimensions to the broad hydrogen research because nanomaterials exhibit radically new properties that cannot be anticipated from their behavior in the bulk. Hydrogen although one of the best candidates for energy storage and energy sources has several challenges. The on-board storage of hydrogen for transportation is the critical basic challenge. For instance, high-pressure as well as cryogenic hydrogen storage systems are almost impractical because of safety factors. Hydrogen is a small molecule with properties that make it difficult to store in small volumes and lightweight materials. This research proposal will better understand the interaction of hydrogen with materials and exploits this knowledge to design effective storage media. The challenge of finding advanced nanomaterials for hydrogen storage will be simplified, when a sound scientific insight of the process is fully understood.

0