Scientists from KBSU won the Russian Science Foundation competition that was organized as part of the “Priority-2030” initiative. The money was used to create cutting-edge materials for hydrogen storage and buildup.
They are essential to the engineering, energy, electronics, and defense sectors. The project will be carried out over a two-year period with a grant of three million Russian rubles.
The production of two- and three-component intermetallics will be the result of the simultaneous electrical release of the components of the synthesized intermetallic from an ion melt on a foreign substrate and their subsequent interaction at the atomic level with the formation of nano, submicro, and micro disperse powders, according to Professor Khasby Ku, the grant project’s leader and head of the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry at KBSU.
Work-in-progress intermetallic compounds are less expensive than palladium yet substantially better than sorb hydrogen. Despite the fact that palladium is one of the primary materials for these uses and is thought to maintain hydrogen well in tanks,
The Kabardino-Balkaria scientists’ ability to lower the temperature of hydrogen sorption through the use of novel materials, however, is what matters most. This is a significant step toward the development of superior hydrogen engines. At critical temperatures, materials often absorb and release the gas that is first on the periodic table.
The latest hydrogen engines will benefit substantially from our research. It is crucial that the materials can be employed at low temperatures, reducing the gas’s explosivity while ensuring that the necessary amounts of hydrogen are released and that there are no leaks. The discovered compounds-based sorbent can safely store and transfer gasoline, Kushkhov emphasized. Gas cannot be pumped into the engine because the car will explode as a result. As a result, hydrogen is stored in unique sorbents, released in the necessary amounts with gentle heating, and the engine starts. Moreover, it does not require additional pressure or warming up.
The fundamentals of an electrochemical method for generating electrode materials with higher activity, selectivity, and tolerance to contaminants in the current-forming process of a hydrogen fuel cell will be presented by scientists. The electrochemical synthesis method and the synthesis of novel chemicals and materials utilizing high-temperature ion melts are the two main synthetic methodologies of contemporary inorganic chemistry that will be employed to produce such materials. Regarding the theoretical aspect, the execution of the research project will enhance the knowledge of multi-stage and multielectronic electrochemical reactions in ionic melts.
According to Professor Svetlana Khashirova, the vice-rector of KBSU for research, the university’s researchers are now working on a number of topics for the development of hydrogen technology. This has been a two-year project for the Center for Hydrogen Technologies team at the university.
We are working to create and find different sorbents using raw materials found in Kabardino-Balkaria. For evaluating the sorption qualities of materials, we developed our own methodology, which has already been patented. We created specialized chromatograph consoles. We work a lot with serpentinite, a naturally occurring mineral that sorbs hydrogen well, according to Svetlana Khashirova.
Serpentinites are a form of thick rock made up of various kinds of minerals. Due to the material’s lovely green color and limited use in nuclear power plant construction, it is often utilized for decorating. The center established as a result of the state initiative “Priority 2030” has been actively involved in all university-based research related to hydrogen technology since the beginning of 2022. It also teaches experts on the subject of hydrogen energy in addition to conducting research on the production, transportation, use, and storage of hydrogen.