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Silicon Nanoparticles Could Lead To On-Demand Hydrogen Generation
cylonlover writes "Researchers at the University of Buffalo have created spherical silicon nanoparticles they claim could lead to hydrogen generation on demand becoming a 'just add water' affair. When the particles are combined with water, they rapidly form hydrogen and silicic acid, a nontoxic byproduct, in a reaction that requires no light, heat or electricity. In experiments, the hydrogen produced was shown to be relatively pure by successfully being used to power a small fan via a small fuel cell."
I wasn't having an illegal campfire on the beach. It was the sand reacting with the seawater.
How much energy to create the silicon nanoparticles.
Fugue for Aaron Swartz
Silicon Nanoparticles Could Lead To On-Demand Hydrogen Generation
That's some serious R&D by the whoopie cushion industry.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
... to sodium. Instant, on-demand hydrogen!
What's the health impact of these getting into the ecosystem? Pass right thru a human? Cause serious disease? What happens when it hits the water IN a human? If this becomes in any way widespread these are going to be issues.
What's left after the reaction? Must the water be pure or can we produce power from dirty water and do what with what's left? Could this be used to clean dirty water by simply using the water for power? Is oxygen also produced from this - I'd think so right since water is H2O. Are the particles completely consumed in the reaction? No reuse? How much water is used in the manufacturing process to create these particles? What are the waste byproducts for the process of creating these particles?
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From TFA ...
Though it takes significant energy and resources to produce the super-small silicon balls, the particles could help power portable devices in situations where water is available and portability is more important than low cost. Military operations and camping trips are two examples of such scenarios.
what?
The overall reaction produces hydrogen and silicic acid by-products; this looks promising. What Catalyst(s) would be required to convert the Other byproducts back to a useful configuration, and convert the silicic acid back to the spherical silicon nanoparticles when the water runs out?
...this, just announced from the University of Michigan to make silicon crystals at much lower energy than previously required.
Looked up silicic acid and, for once, doesn't seem to want to destroy the environment or cause cancer, that we know of yet.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
How long have we got till peak silicon? I'm going to start stockpiling sand for the forthcoming commodities bubble.
I'd rather run out of hydrogen than water; sweet, cool water.
What's the advantage over Borohydride?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borohydride
How much energy does it take to make the stuff, transport it, dispose of it, and so on? It may prove to be an adequate energy carrier if it's cheap enough AND we have enough cheap electricity to make use of it, which might happen if we actually get thorium-based nuclear power AND we can solve the engineering problems involving the use of hydrogen in any metallic machines.
Not a bad technology if it's more energy dense by volume and cheaper than current batteries though.
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What if a bunch of these were dropped into a deep part of the ocean? Would bubbles of hydrogen begin to rise to the surface, continue to rise, and eventually convert all the oceans into acid and free hydrogen?
--Udo.
Oh yes, water won't burst into fire. But water is corrosive. It causes rust.
This is basically only useful in two situations:
1. Some moron is too scared of hydrogen fires to understand it is safer than gasoline.
2. Situations where we can not take the standard precautions against fire.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Hydrogen is not the panacea of clean energy. Unless you can burn 100% of it, your H2 material is going to rise in the atmosphere and leave the earth eventually but not before passing through the ozone layer where it is more than happy to combine with that extra O in O3 and make water, destroying the Ozone layer in the process.
Exactly. The article claims poor efficiency:
The downside is the significant amount of energy and resources required to produce the smaller silicon particles. This would make the particles expensive and likely rule them out for widespread use in powering consumer electronic devices – at least initially. However, the researchers say the technology could find applications in situations where water is available and portability is more important than cost, such as camping and military operations.
So it's currently not much more than a parlor trick. You're not going to be filling up an electric car with silicon nanoparticles and water any time soon.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Just sayin'.
If only we had an easy way to make an oxygen free environment to store our silicon nanoparticles prior to wetting them...
Umm, this is old tech. There are a number of different metals and materials as well that will react to water, freeing up hydrogen. The problems are more political, social , educational and moral than scientific. Although, there is much to be discovered. This is just a good example of the fact that we can discover much by looking back to old dead and forgotten tech.
Grab an aluminum can and pour some sodium hydroxide and you'll end up producing hydrogen on demand. I know producing aluminum requires lots of energy but so does heating up the sand to creat silicon. video
Create the particles at night with overproduction of energy or during times when solar is vastly overproducing and then use them to power things off the grid.
No; it's how long can they run before being degraded by contamination? If it takes six-sigma water purity to prevent crap from interfering with the reaction, then it's more novelty than breakthrough.
Don't expect to be able to just top up your car with water and drive a few thousand miles on a single silicon cartridge. Water stores too little energy to ever be useful as a fuel, nor can it be "converted" in any conventional sense. The best we can do is pump in a lot of energy and create a fuel from it, as with electrolysis, but the energy has to come from elsewhere.
In this case, all the energy comes from the silicon nanoparticles, and the water just releases that energy as unbound hydrogen. Since nothing indicates that the silicon nanoparticles are unusually energy-dense, you'll be replacing them at least as often as as your water.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
If you believe this, then you probably also think neutrinos are faster than light.
If Click and Clack married Ace Ventura, they would say
" BUH - HO - HUH - HO - HUH - GUSS ! ! ! "
A high school chemistry student can see that it's a perpetual motion machine.
A computer programmer ... not so much.
Then we stuff potassium into the water and get more hydrogen and potassium hydroxide (KOA). Then we combine the HA (salycylic acid) with the KOA to get more water and A-. Then my battery leaks and the FAA shuts me down.
It makes sense if you know that whoever has control over that part of the U.S. government makes money from killing people and destroying their property.