I’ve talked a handful of times in the past about using a chemical carrier for hydrogen such as ammonia borane (AB) as perhaps an easier method in which to build an infrastructure around and get the needed H2 gas to fuel cells.
Apparently a group of researchers at USC in California had the same thought when they, “…developed a stable and reusable ruthenium catalyst that can extract a record amount of hydrogen from AB but produces far fewer by-products poisonous to fuel cells.”
One of the advantages of using ammonia borane (H3NBH3) is that it is a hydrogen rich chemical compound that can easily be transported over long distances (not like compressed hydrogen gas). Another advantage is that once spend, ammonia borane can easily be recycled and packed with hydrogen molecules once again.
The ammonia borane can be used in liquid slurries which are easy to transport over long distances or create locally and transport only short distances. The catalyst that the scientists have developed can release the hydrogen from the ammonia borane under mild temperatures with the largest quantity to date.
If you’re a fan of using chemical carries particularly hydrogen slurries then keep your eyes on this one for future development.
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