Storing Hydrogen in Microspheres

Researchers at Alfred University in New York State are developing an alternative to conventional hydrogen storage techniques. Their method involves storing hydrogen gas in tiny glass microspheres, each smaller than a grain of salt at approximately 50 micrometers in diameter. The spheres would be grouped together to make a storage system that's claimed to be cheaper and safer than other storage technologies. When treated with certain chemicals and exposed to light, the microspheres undergo a reaction that releases the hydrogen.

This begs the question: Just how durable could glass possibly be? According to the researchers, the glass is 100 times stronger than conventional glass since the microsphere walls are less than one micrometer thick, smaller than the surface flaws that typically make glass fragile. Microspheres can be recycled and refilled, so refueling a fuel cell vehicle would theoretically involve removing the empty microspheres and replacing them with refilled ones.