Can graphite nanofibers store hydrogen?Tiny graphite fibers can hold more than 40 percent of their weight in hydrogen, says Nelly nel·ly or nel·lie n. pl. nel·lies Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for an effeminate homosexual man. [Probably from the name Nelly, nickname for Helen.] M. Rodriguez of Northeastern University Northeastern University, at Boston, Mass.; coeducational; founded 1898 as a program within the Boston YMCA, inc. 1916, university status 1922, fully independent of the YMCA 1948. in Boston. Such fibers, only about 20 nanometers in diameter, could be a compact, lightweight way to store hydrogen as fuel in portable devices (SN: 1/16/99, p. 47). At the molecular level, the fibers consist of graphite disks stacked like dinner plates and connected at their edges by oxygens. The hydrogen diffuses into the space between the plates, which accommodate a large volume of gas, says Rodriguez. Other researchers have doubts. "It's physically unrealistic," says Michael J. Heben of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in Golden, Colorado, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. in Golden, Colo. "The conceptual limit is one hydrogen per carbon atom Noun 1. carbon atom - an atom of carbon atom - (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element , which is 8 percent by weight." |
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