Engineers Konstantin Katin and Alexander Yakovlev from MEPhI have proposed using lightweight lithium sheets Li₃C to store fuel in future domestic hydrogen aircraft. Scientists have found that hydrogen molecules are firmly held on lithium carbide, but are easily released at room temperature.
The material is stable at pressures of 10–20 atmospheres, safe, and suitable for aviation, where every kilogram counts.
Scientists believe that Li₃C will allow the creation of fuel tanks for future passenger aircraft without bulky cylinders and cooling, and the technology could be implemented in 10–20 years.
Li₃C is also easy to scale; sheets can be connected into modules of any size, and the surface can be activated for accelerated hydrogen charging. This opens the way to fast refueling, compact tanks, and efficient integration with hybrid engines, MEPhI added.
Sergey Korobtsev, Head of Plasma Technologies at the Kurchatov Complex, recently explained that engineers are working on technologies for introducing hydrogen engines into aircraft. This type of fuel has an advantage over aviation kerosene, but there are issues with storage. Katin and Yakovlev's idea completely solves this problem.
