Novel Material Stores Unusually Large Amounts of Hydrogen

An international team of researchers has synthesized a new material that stores an unusually large amount of hydrogen. Performing high-pressure X-ray studies at DESY's PETRA III and other light sources, the scientists detected the formation of previously unobserved iridium hydride from hydrogen and metallic iridium at a pressure of 55 gigapascals (GPa), corresponding to approximately 550,000 times Earth's atmospheric pressure. The new material can store up to three times more hydrogen than most other metal hydrides, and its synthesis may contribute to the development of high-capacity hydrogen fuel cells in cars and other applications.