Atomic hydrogen storage method and apparatus
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorJohn A. Woollam
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Abstract
Atomic hydrogen, for use as a fuel or as an explosive, is stored in the presence of a strong magnetic field in exfoliated layered compounds such as molybdenum disulfide or an elemental layer material such as graphite. The compound is maintained at liquid helium temperatures and the atomic hydrogen is collected on the surfaces of the layered compound which are exposed during delamination (exfoliation). The strong magnetic field and the low temperature combine to prevent the atoms of hydrogen from recombining to form molecules.
Claims1
An apparatus for storing atomic hydrogen in high concentration, said apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a delaminated layered compound located in said chamber, said compound being a transitional metal dichalcogenide of the form TX.sub.2 where T is a transition metal and X is a material selected from the group consisting of S, Se or Te, means for maintaining said compound at a temperature T in the range 0.degree.<T<14.degree. K., and means for impressing a strong magnetic field of at least 1 Tesla per degree Kelvin on said layered comound, atomic hydrogen being collected on the exposed surfaces of said delaminated layered compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.