36 May/June 2022

Machines

9

// BY ERIC TEGLER //

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A laser shines

light on nano-

thin film inside a

canister, releasing

hydrogen that can

feed a fuel cell.

Hydrogen (H 2 ) is most often produced by natu-

ral gas steam reformation and electrolysis of water.

“Green” hydrogen is produced when wind and solar

power provide electricity for splitting water into

hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. The hydrogen

produced by these processes must be compressed

or liquefied to achieve a small enough size for prac-

tical storage.

Hydrogen gas is commonly compressed to more

than 2,000 psi, and in the case of fuel-cell cars like

the Toyota Mirai, to as much as 10,000 psi. Multi-

ple stages of compression and cooling are required

Could

Solid-State

Hydrogen

Storage Be

a Serious

Alternative

to Batteries?

F

ORMER COMPUTER-CHIP MANUFAC-

turing engineer Paul Smith founded

Plasma Kinetics in 2008. The Arizona-

based startup has developed “solid-state”

hydrogen storage, essentially trans-

ferring the gas onto a proprietary film

wound in many layers inside a canister.

He says the tech could challenge batteries in both

efficiency and environmental friendliness.

When unspooled and run past a laser—the

film moves from one reel to another, like movie

film through a projector—the solid-state storage

medium releases 99.99 percent pure hydrogen,

which could power electrical grids, hydrogen fuel

cells, cars, or hydrogen-injected diesel trucks.

Plasma Kinetics asserts that its storage system

is 30 percent lighter, 7 percent smaller, and 17

percent less expensive than a lithium-ion battery

per kilowatt-hour. Those claims have reportedly

attracted capital from the likes of Toyota, though

Smith declined to confirm any investments.

Due to these successes, Plasma Kinetics had

to put its plans (and patents) on hold for nearly

a decade because the Department of Defense

wanted to gain a lead in applying Smith’s meth-

odology to missile tech and other military

applications. Now, the startup’s hydrogen storage

tech may have the chance to challenge the battery

business and the trillions of dollars sunk into it

worldwide.

light-activated film

lasers for

inside of film

lasers for

outside of

film

radiator

water hoses

light window

laser-cooling radiators

hydrogen

exit

tube

light-activated film reel

light-activated

film housing guides to

align cassette

with lasers