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Researchers sliced open a microsphere which was pumped full of palladium particles to show the new, unique nanostructures which the palladium formed inside.  (Source: Savannah River National Lab, American Ceramic Society)

Another image shows nanostructures inside and out of another microsphere.  (Source: Savannah River National Lab, American Ceramic Society)

An artist's rendition of the microsphere structure shows the network of interconnected pores, which can be used to store gasses. The solid-state mix can then be pumped like a liquid, thanks to the microspheres fluid-like mechanical properties.  (Source: Savannah River National Lab, American Ceramics Society)
The Savannah Research National Laboratory have created a multipurpose new material, composed of tiny glass bubbles, which behaves both like a fluid and a solid

Press releases are typically rather dry material and not exactly prone to humor, but researchers at Savannah Research National Laboratory (SRNL) preface the news release for their impactful glass microsphere breakthrough, with a riddle. "What looks like a fertilized egg, flows like water, gets stuffed with catalysts and exotic nanostructures and may have the potential of making the current retail gasoline infrastructure compatible with hydrogen-based vehicles of the future – not to mention also contributing to arenas such as nuclear proliferation and global warming?"

The Bulletin, the monthly magazine of The American Ceramic Society, carries their answer (PDF).  Unlike many press releases, their work is truly very different than other existing research in that it represents a whole new class of materials that can be used for diverse storage purposes, by having properties similar to both a liquid and being solid in form.  The new material consists of tiny hollow spheres, known formally as Porous Wall-Hollow Glass Microspheres (PW-HGM). 

The spheres measure a scant 2-100 microns in diameter.  This puts them at smaller than the width of a human hair.  The key asset of the spheres are tiny pores which adorn their surface.  These pores can be controlled by processing to measure from 100 to 3,000 Angstroms and they form full tunnels between the inner and outer wall, through which chemicals of controlled sizes can pass.

SRNL Researchers G.G. Wicks, L.K. Heung, and R.F. Schumacher led the project.  In it they showed hydrogen and other gas adsorbents, as well as other chemicals, could be pumped in through the pores.  This allows for relatively safe solid-state storage of hydrogen or other reactive gas by limiting their exposure to the atmosphere, with which they would react.

The new research treads on foreign ground, as the tiny nanoscale pores have never been seen before.  The tiny structures were photographed in a series of images taken by the researchers. 

A major application of the new material is gas streaming filtering.  By adjusting the porosity, the material will act as a filter, absorbing one type of gas and letting the others pass.

Most promising yet, the microballoons can have their mechanical properties tweaked to act like a fluid, including flowing along pipes.  This means that current gas distribution infrastructures could be modified to transport solid hydrogen, with little change.  This in turn would amount in savings of money and effort spent.  The hardy little microballoons are also easily recycled and reused, thanks to their strength.

The research is not going unnoticed.  Toyota is sponsoring the SRNL to bring the technology to market to help it with its hydrogen vehicles.  Gas purification and separation companies are also making deals with SRNL.  And the Medical College of Georgia is working closely with SRNL researchers to apply a modified version of the microballons for drug delivery.  In total the Lab has over a dozen partnerships or collaborations.

The research is truly quite exciting and unique, it’s good to see it getting such attention from big names in commerce and academia.  With this new class of materials, scientist will have an entirely new material, which treads the solid-liquid barrier offering many unique properties that are the best of both worlds.



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Batman!
By HVAC on 6/9/2008 2:37:17 PM , Rating: 3
Hol(e)y Balls, Batman!!!




RE: Batman!
By Smartless on 6/9/2008 2:59:41 PM , Rating: 2
"BAM!", "SOCK!", "POW!" Take that you cancerous buckyballs! (Although I'm sure these cause cancer too)
I've worked with tiny glass bubbles when working with lightweight concrete, that stuff was really weird. It was like trying to pick up oily sand and we had to wear masks because it actually WAS carcinogenic.


RE: Batman!
By AmazighQ on 6/9/2008 3:22:32 PM , Rating: 2
dont think sphere like object cause cancer
its more that long and thin object that cause cancer (asbestos.

oke great now i can brag about how small my ball are!!


RE: Batman!
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 6/9/2008 3:48:40 PM , Rating: 2
I got the smallest, balls of them all.


RE: Batman!
By Flunk on 6/9/2008 3:53:26 PM , Rating: 2
Actually it is common knowledge that everything causes cancer.


RE: Batman!
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 6/9/2008 4:02:03 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Actually it is common knowledge that everything in sufficient quantities causes cancer.

There.


RE: Batman!
By SilthDraeth on 6/9/2008 4:19:22 PM , Rating: 2
Exactly. It isn't a question of whether or not it causes cancer, as it is a question of "how much" of a product does it take to cause cancer.


RE: Batman!
By elessar1 on 6/9/2008 5:13:17 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Actually it is common knowledge that everything in sufficient quantities causes cancer.


Holly Canolly Batman!!!

I hope lovin' dont fell in this category...or else...i'm a cancerongenic!!!

McLovin...


RE: Batman!
By mvisconte on 6/9/2008 6:43:11 PM , Rating: 2
Dang it... it won't take my subject change to:
"Everything gives you cancer..."

I got cancer from listening to Joe Jackson.

Dang... was that 25 years ago?

"And don't touch that piano!"


RE: Batman!
By Some1ne on 6/9/2008 8:02:29 PM , Rating: 2
Almost EVERYTHING is carcinogenic. It's just a question of how much exposure does it take, versus how easily individuals may be exposed.