Energy loss during transportation is inevitable – today. But the future holds incredible possibilities, a future made possible by the production of solid metal hydrogen at Harvard University. Dubbed the “holy grail of high pressure physics,” this new discovery has much to offer (Reuell, P., 2017).
In light of the current global energy crisis, the use of hydrogen wires could be a complete game-changer. As of now, copper wires are used in energy transport (Ferris, R., 2017). Their efficiency is low, causing a considerable loss of energy. 4% of energy is lost in transport (Wirfs-Brock, J., 2017). Using hydrogen metal wires instead would allow this number to go down to almost 0%. This is because hydrogen metal has no resistance, making it a superconductor (Reuell, P., 2017). Reducing or eliminating energy loss through transport will reduce our overall energy needs and prevent wastage in times of a growing energy crisis.
Liquid hydrogen is regularly created in industries using cryogenic temperatures and pressures of 10’s of atmospheres; however, this is the first instance of solid hydrogen’s creation (Associated Press, 2017). This solid state of hydrogen is produced using a pressurized compression machine called a diamond anvil cell, as seen in figure 1. This machine uses synthetic diamonds positioned on opposite sides, and treated with an alumina (aluminum III oxide) coating to prevent cracking (Associated Press, 2017).
Hydrogen is squeezed by putting a small amount of it between two diamond anvils, and applying a pressure of 55 million psi. To put this in perspective, this is almost 4 million times the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere (Dias, R.P. and Silvera, I.F., 2017)!
The scientific community is being cautious about accepting this discovery due to a few less than reliable practices carried out during and after the making of the solid hydrogen. One such practice was not properly testing the product’s conductivity due to the limited space between the anvil to fit electrodes in, making the claim of it being a metal questionable (Emspak, J., 2016). The solid hydrogen was proclaimed as a metal solely based upon similarities to theoretical predictions for solid metallic hydrogen, not on confirmatory tests (Emspak, J., 2016).
Additionally, researchers are still not sure about the solid maintaining its metallic properties at room temperature. All skepticism aside, the creation of solid hydrogen is still a massive discovery in the field of high pressure physics, and must be looked upon with hope and eagerness to better the discovery and make it more feasible for practical applications.
Reference List:
Associated Press, 2017. US scientists create metallic hydrogen on Earth ending 80-year quest for ‘holy grail of high-pressure physics’. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/27/us-scientists-create-metallic-hydrogen-earth-ending-80-year/> [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017].
Dias, R.P. and Silvera, I.F., 2017. Observation of the Wigner-Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen. Science.
Emspak, J., 2016. Strange New State of Hydrogen Created – Live Science. [online] Live Science. Available at: <http://tinyurl.com/hvkefz4> [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017].
Ferris, R., 2017. An 80-year-old prediction may come true: Scientists turn hydrogen into a metal. [online] Science. Available at: <http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/27/scientists-turned-hydrogen-into-a-metal.html> [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017].
Katie, 2016. What is a Diamond Anvil Cell?[online] Open Science Blog. Available at: <https://dcoecs15.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/what-the-heck-is-a-diamond-anvil-cell/> [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017].
Reuell, P., 2017. Advance in high-pressure physics. [online] Harvard Gazette. Available at: <http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/01/a-breakthrough-in-high-pressure-physics/> [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017].
Wirfs-Brock, J., 2017. Lost In Transmission: How Much Electricity Disappears Between A Power Plant And Your Plug?[online] Inside Energy. Available at: <http://insideenergy.org/2015/11/06/lost-in-transmission-how-much-electricity-disappears-between-a-power-plant-and-your-plug/> [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017].