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Nature 434, 712-713 (7 April 2005) | doi:10.1038/434712a; Published online 6 April 2005

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Technology:  Hydrogen and hydrates

Ferdi Schüth1

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It's a potentially explosive issue. How can hydrogen be stored cleanly, efficiently and, above all, safely? One answer would appear to be: take a cage made of water, and add just a little organic solvent.

Finding cheap and easy storage methods will be crucial to establishing hydrogen as a fuel of the future. Clathrates — in which hydrogen molecules are encapsulated or 'occluded' in a cage-like lattice of water molecules — are one option, but until now the pressure required to maintain the stability of such systems has been too high.

  1. Ferdi Schüth is at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
    e-mail: Email: schueth@mpi-muelheim.mpg.de

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Tuning clathrate hydrates for hydrogen storage

Nature Letters to Editor (07 Apr 2005)