0847464_Dobbins

1. On the Road to Increasing H- Ionic Mobility Tabbetha A. Dobbins, Louisiana Tech University, DMR 0847464 The project is designed to aid in the development of the hydrogen economy and to stimulate public discourse on the topic of on-board vehicular hydrogen storage for fuel cells and electric motors by implementing research and educational outreach activities. The research projects will study important unanswered questions which limit the implementation of hydrogen as a practical and viable fuel source. Specifically, the role of catalysts in metal hydrides will be studied using state-of-the-art instrumentation located at synchrotron x-ray and neutron facilities within the U.S. and abroad. Investigations will surround the questions: ‘How do catalysts facilitate the removal and uptake of H2 gas in metal hydride powders (e.g. NaAlH4 or LiBH4)?’ and ‘Do the same catalysts act to enhance or decrease long range atomic movement in the hydride powders?’ . Visit www2.latech.edu/~tdobbins for updates. Figure 1. LaTech student, Shathabish Narase Gowda (at left) attended the NIST Center for Neutron Research summer school (June 2009) in preparation for quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements to determine H- mobility in LiBH4 and in NaAlH4. Narase Gowda will work with Craig Brown (2009 PECASE Awardee) while at NIST. Figure 2. Mass spectroscopy shows that NaAlH4 doped with TiCl3 undergoes desorption at a much lowered temperature. QENS studies will be performed on both doped and undoped materials to elucidate the influence of Ti3+ on H- ionic mobility.

2. Project Energy (Exploring New Energy-alternatives Relevant to Generation Y)Tabbetha A. Dobbins, Louisiana Tech University, DMR 0847464 Project Energy describes the combined high school-based projects supported by the NSF CARER Award. The project includes (1) a high school design challenge and (2) science fair project mentoring. The high school design challenge will be to modify the Thames and Kosmos Fuel Cell Vehicle so that it operates using a hydride powder bed as its primary carrier of fuel. Mentored by Prof. Dobbins along with LSMSA Profs. Robert Dalling and Richard Batman, sixteen bright and enthusiastic Louisiana School for Math, Sciences, and Arts (LSMSA) students began working on the project in the Fall of 2009. Visit www.projectenerG.com for academic year 2009/10 project updates. Figure 1. The Thames and Kosmos Fuel Cell Vehicle (image from www. http://www.thamesandkosmos.com/products/fc/fc2.html) will be modified by the high school students to operate with a hydride powder bed. Figure 2. Robert Dalling (LSMSA Professor) attended a Fuel Cell Vehicle workshop sponsored by LaTech University’s Center for Applied Teaching and Learning to Yield Scientific Thinking (CATaLYST) in the summer of 2009 in preparation for the Project ENERGY Program which began in Fall 2009.