In the American Navy research laboratories it was developed a hydrogen fuel cell-powered plane that was capable to fly during more than 23 hours in a test accomplished last week. The Íon Tiger, as it is called, got to fly during that period without emitting any pollutant particle and its motor is silent, a secondary conquest of that project.

For who doesn’t know, the cell of fuel is to feed an electric motor from the use of a fuel that is the liquid hydrogen in that case. In a thick way, the thing works like this: inside a compartment called fuel cell, the hydrogen is put in presence of oxygen. But the two elements don’t mix because they are separate for an insulating membrane which is electrical.

As it is known, any combustion only happens in the presence of oxygen. But in this case the fuel “burn” doesn’t happen the hydrogen doesn’t get in touch with the oxygen. However, it is enough the two to approach enough so that the hydrogen molecules “break”, separating the electrons from the protons from their nucleus. The insulating membrane allows the hydrogen protons passage to associate with the oxygen, generating steam water.

However, the electrons are obstructed by the insulating membrane, proceeding for the battery that will work an electric motor that will rotate a helix, but that equally could move an automobile, as the several prototypes that Daimler-Chrysler already is testing for years.

The incredible is that this technology doesn’t have anything of new. It was created by the Welsh chemist Sir William Robert Grove in 1843, 30 years before the intern combustion motor, which was developed in the decade of 1870 by the Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, founders of Daimler-Benz (current Daimler-Chrysler).

Via: Tree Hugger.

From the Hubble telescope’s images of planetary nebulae comes the idea of how the sun will eventually look when it expires five billion years hence. Once it has exhausted its reserves of hydrogen that feeds a continuous process of nuclear fusion, the sun will become just like any of the nebulae the most beautiful of which is known as the ‘Cat’s Eye.’

The Hubble Space Telescope took a sequence of images whose breathtaking patterns and colors actually tell the tragedy of the death of a cosmic body that once shone in the dark cosmos.

When a star ends its life, it becomes a red giant that is streaming of gas and dust. The case of the sun (which has a mass that is 330 thousand times that of Earth) is not too far different. The images analyzed by scientists show the various steps of the phenomenon. The dissemination of material in the universe becomes a fresh supply of chemical elements that will incorporate into future generations of stars.

The sun is about 4.5 billion years old. It has used up approximately half of its nuclear fuel (hydrogen). It is also 1/3 of the way through its expected life.

In the next 1.1 billion years, the sun’s brightness will increase by 10%. This is a proven stage in the life and death of a star. The sun’s intensified brightness by then will sharply increase temperatures enough to scorch planet earth. This severe greenhouse effect is the ultimate in climate change and global warming. At this juncture, all of the oceans on earth will boil. All living things will be destroyed.

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Via Science Daily

Photosynthesis, the process which energizes plants by breakdown of water using sunlight got artificial. Nocera and his colleagues conducted an experiment in which solar panels were used to power an electrolyzer with cobalt and phosphate catalysts to break down water into its elemental constituents, hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen thus produced was fed into a fuel cell to produce electricity.

While the sun generates electricity during the day, nights and cloudy days would be lighted up by these hydrogen fuel cells. When Nocera declared this idea to the world, it triggered criticism. Nocera’s mentor, Thomas Meyer feels that it is too quick to call it an answer for artificial photosynthesis, because, though the catalysts are technologically important, they may not be put to practical use until they have been improved further. Another researcher from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO says that when compared to the catalysts available in the market which run at about 1,000 milliamps per square centimeter, Nocera’s electrolyzer has jus 1-10 milliamp per square centimeter of energy density which is about 800-2000 times less.

Apart from these, critics also highlight the loss of energy that would occur during the conversion process and the cost factor which is very important for putting any innovation into public use. Now, we have to wait and watch if the new technique would rise or just lay in peace.

Source: TechnologyReview