SRNL Microspheres Could Impact Fuel, Gasoline, Hydrogen Distribution
The Savannah Research National Laboratory have created a multipurpose new material, composed of tiny glass bubbles, which behaves both like a fluid and a solid. Researchers at Savannah Research National Laboratory (SRNL) preface the news release for their impactful glass microsphere breakthrough, with a riddle. "What looks like a fertilized egg, flows like water, gets stuffed with catalysts and exotic nanostructures and may have the potential of making the current retail gasoline infrastructure compatible with hydrogen-based vehicles of the future – not to mention also contributing to arenas such as nuclear proliferation and global warming?"The spheres measure a scant 2-100 microns in diameter. This puts them at smaller than the width of a human hair. The key asset of the spheres are tiny pores which adorn their surface. These pores can be controlled by processing to measure from 100 to 3,000 Angstroms and they form full tunnels between the inner and outer wall, through which chemicals of controlled sizes can pass.A major application of the new material is gas streaming filtering. By adjusting the porosity, the material will act as a filter, absorbing one type of gas and letting the others pass.
Most promising yet, the microballoons can have their mechanical properties tweaked to act like a fluid, including flowing along pipes. This means that current gas distribution infrastructures could be modified to transport solid hydrogen, with little change. This in turn would amount in savings of money and effort spent. The hardy little microballoons are also easily recycled and reused, thanks to their strength.
Labels: energy-distribution, gasoline, hydrogen
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