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US 2022/0024760 A1Published application
Activated aluminum fuel
AssigneeLtag Systems LLC
InventorJonathan T. SLOCUM
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aluminum can be used as a fuel source when reacted with water if its native surrounding oxide coating is penetrated with a gallium-based eutectic. When discrete aluminum objects are treated in a heated bath of eutectic, the eutectic penetrates the oxide coating. After the aluminum objects are treated, the aluminum objects can be reacted in a reactor to produce hydrogen which can, for example, react with oxygen in a fuel cell to produce electricity, for use in a variety of applications.
Claims20
A method of producing hydrogen, the method comprising:
- introducing water to a two-phase mixture along grain boundaries of a bulk volume of an aluminum alloy, the two-phase mixture including an activating material and raw aluminum of the aluminum alloy, and the activating material including gallium;
- and
- collecting hydrogen-containing gas formed via reaction of the water with the raw aluminum of the aluminum alloy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.