Hydrogen Economy on the Way? New Hydrogen Storage Method Discovered

Scientists at the Carnegie Institution discovered that under very high pressure (about 41,000-255,000 atm) the typically non-reactive noble gas Xenon combines with molecular Hydrogen to form a stable compound. The stability of this compound surprised researchers. As the electron density from Xenon spreads out around the Hydrogen nuclei, the stability of the Xenon and the compound increases. As the pressure was increased, the distance between the Xenon atoms decreased, forming a denser solid. While Xenon is too heavy and too costly to be widely used in Hydrogen storage, this research could lead to new advances in Hydrogen storage and Hydrogen technologies.

Posted by Bethany Klett