Aluminium could be a hydrogen fuel cell

Research scientists have made a breakthrough in their search for ways to break down and capture individual hydrogen atoms for use in environmentally-friendly fuel cells.

A team of researchers from the University of Texas and Washington State University has found that with minor alterations aluminium can be used to break down and capture hydrogen, with the potential for the discovery to transform hydrogen into a robust and affordable green fuel.

Those behind the discovery explained that the key to the potential of aluminium as a hydrogen fuel storage system is to impregnate it with a noble metal that would encourage the hydrogen bonds to break, with the team settling on titanium.

"The results prove for the first time that titanium-doped aluminium can activate hydrogen in ways that are comparable to expensive and less-abundant catalyst metals such as palladium and other near-surface alloys consisting of similar noble metals and their bimetallic analogs," explained co-lead researcher Santanu Chaudhuri.

Hydrogen can then be released from the aluminium by simply increasing the temperature.