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Molecular simulation of a supercapacitor, showing nanoporous carbon electrodes (in blue) immersed in an ionic liquid. 35 1 nm Innovative hydrogen storage in solid form The storage of hydrogen in solid form, in combination with a metal such as magnesium, is a promising approach for consumer applications. Researchers working in collaboration with a company specialized in hydrogen storage have developed a practical process using a tank that allows the hydrogen to be rapidly absorbed/released from the metal matrix, and ensures efficient removal of the heat from the absorption reaction. This innovation was awarded the 2012 Yves Rocard Prize of the French Physics Society. Numerical simulation of supercapacitor operation Researchers have succeeded in numerically simulating the molecular mechanism underlying the storage of electrical energy in a supercapacitor. This has enabled them to understand why nanopore electrodes are more efficient than smooth electrodes. Inside the nanopores, the ions cannot arrange themselves in layers, which avoids the effects of so-called “superscreening”, thus reducing storage efficiency. This work should help design increasingly efficient supercapacitors for use in the aerospace and automotive industries. Nature Materials March 2012 online Inserting the vertical line of the accelerator into the core of the GUINEVERE reactor. Guinevere: towards cleaner nuclear energy Researchers from a European collaboration have succeeded in operating a lead-cooled nuclear reactor driven by a particle accelerator. This demonstration model, dubbed GUINEVERE, prefigures tomorrow’s ADS (Accelerator Driven System) reactors, which are both safer and easy to control. This is because an ADS reactor needs an external source of neutrons to operate: it can be stopped simply by turning off the accelerator. Another advantage of coupling the reactor to a particle accelerator is that fast neutrons can be used to produce cleaner nuclear waste. Catalyst could produce cheap hydrogen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Research by a group of chemists from several laboratories raises hopes for cheaper hydrogen production by water electrolysis without using platinum, which is rare and expensive. Electrolysis is a reaction that produces oxygen and hydrogen from an aqueous solution through which an electric current flows between two catalyst-coated electrodes. The researchers took inspiration from the enzymes of certain living organisms to develop a synthetic catalyst based on cobalt nanoparticles coated with a cobalt phosphate that functions in water at neutral pH, a necessary requirement for doing away with platinum. What’s more, this material exists in two forms that allow it to catalyze the production of either hydrogen or oxygen, making it the first so-called “switchable” catalyst containing no noble metals. Since hydrogen production by water electrolysis is a potential option for the storage of renewable energies, which are intermittent and unevenly distributed geographically, this innovation bodes well for the future of sustainable energy. Nature Materials August 2012 online Nature Chemistry October 2012 online 2012 A year at CNRS


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