University of Windsor researchers develop new hydrogen storage material
Researchers at the University of Windsor have developed a new compound that could be effective as a hydrogen storage material, according to reports.
According to Chemical & Engineering News, chemistry researchers Professor Douglas Stephan and Gregory Welch have synthesised a phosphonium borate compound that is able to produce hydrogen molecules when heated.
The phosphonium borate splits into H2 molecules and phosphine borane, which the report says then re-combine under cooler temperatures to create the original compound. However, the exact mechanism for this process is not yet fully understood, the researchers admit.
“Regardless of the mechanism, the discovery is important because of the reversible nature of the hydrogen activation,” commented chemist Gregory Kubas in a report on the research.
The researchers hope that phosphonium could be useful in hydrogen storage applications, although they admit that the density at which the compound can currently hold hydrogen needs improving.
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