overview- the smart shirt
- PREDICTING EARTHQUAKES FROM SPACE
- THE SAFER BARRIER
- MICROSCOPIC WIRES DETECT CANCERS
- DETECTING "DIRTY BOMBS"
- MINI-ROBOT RECONNAISSANCE TEAM
- CLEANER WATER THROUGH NEW TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY
- A BETTER HEARING AID MODELED ON A FLY'S EAR
- CHEAP, CLEAN, RENEWABLE NON-POLLUTING FUEL FROM PLANT WASTES AND UNIVERSITY SCIENCE
- FUELING THE CLEAN CAR
- RESTORING SIGHT IN BLIND PATIENTS
- SPY PLANES THAT FLY ON WINGS OF SEAGULLS
- SOLAR ENERGY FROM THE WINDY CITY
- TINY PARTICLES DELIVER CURES
- THE HANDYLAB--INSTANT DNA TESTING
FUELING THE CLEAN CAR
Imagine a “dream car” that moves through rush-hour traffic without polluting. That’s what a hydrogen-powered car can do.
But where will the hydrogen come from for the car’s fuel cells? At Virginia Tech, Chemistry Professor Karen Brewer and a team of researchers are developing a way to convert energy from light—solar power—into hydrogen gas, which can then be transported, stored, and pumped into the cars.
The research team has created complex molecular systems—“molecular machines”—that use light to collect electrons, and then deliver the electrons to water (H20), which is split into oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2) gas.
The researchers are working with the Air Force Research Laboratory, studying what happens in the molecular systems after the light is absorbed. The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy are also funding the research.
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