From the streets to the stratosphere: Clean driving technology enables cleaner rocket fuel

A chemical used in electric vehicle batteries could give us carbon-free fuel for space flight, according to new research.

This chemical has several advantages over other types of rocket fuels, including higher energy, lower costs, and no requirement for frozen storage.

The hydrogen in fuel cells is stored in ammonia borane. The combination of hydrogen and boron can be used to launch rockets and satellites.

The first author of the new study said that ammonia borane can be used to make rockets under the right conditions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C published their demonstration.

hydrocarbon based rocket fuels have a variety of negative environmental impacts. Acid rains, ozone holes, and greenhouse gases can be caused by them.

Ammonia Borane is less harmful to the environment than ammonia.

Ammonia Borane releases more energy than hydrocarbon fuels, which could result in cost savings because less of it is required to power the same flight.

Extra oxygen to the fuel is supplied by catalysts and oxidizers, which are added to release energy from the fuel. Catalysts are used for this purpose in fuel cells. Both before and after the reaction, they stay in the same form.

It's not ideal to use a catalyst because it doesn't contribute to the energy you need. Pankaj Ghildiyal, University of Maryland chemistry PhD student and study co-author, said it was like dead mass in your gas tank.

The chemistry of ammonia borane decomposition makes it hard for it to release its total energy on reaction with oxidizers. The oxidizer found by the researchers alters the decomposition and oxidation mechanisms of this fuel, leading to the removal of its total energy content.

The chemistry of the chemicals allowed us to create more complete combustion of the chemicals and increase the energy of the entire reaction.

Liquid hydrogen, which has very low density, is used by NASA to store rocket fuels.

This fuel is resistant to high heat and stable at room temperature. The researchers created very fine particles of ammonium Borane, which could degrade over a month in humid environments.

The research team is studying how the particles age in different environments. They are working on ways to improve the stability of fuel particles by coating them with a protective coating.

The research was funded by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Office of Naval Research. The funds were granted to help generate cleaner, more efficient flight fuels.

In order to support the experimental observations in this study, quantum chemistry calculations had to be performed.

The chemistry that powers this fuel and oxidizer combination has been determined.

More information: Prithwish Biswas et al, Rerouting Pathways of Solid-State Ammonia Borane Energy Release, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2021). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c08985 Journal information: Journal of Physical Chemistry C Citation: From the streets to the stratosphere: Clean driving technology enables cleaner rocket fuel (2022, February 23) retrieved 23 February 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-02-streets-stratosphere-technology-enables-cleaner.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.