(Press-News.org) Key findings
Adding 100 mL of water at room temperature (25 ℃) to 1 g of the alloy powder results in nearly complete hydrolysis and yields a high hydrogen output in a short time. After correcting for water vapor, the measured hydrogen volume corresponds to approximately 737–760 mL H₂ per gram of powder (produced within about 10 minutes).
Raising the water temperature to 60 ℃ further increases both reaction rate and total yield, reaching up to ≈835 mL H₂/g (uncorrected value).
Microstructural analysis using SEM/TEM/EDS shows that the gas-atomized powders are spherical (diameter ~6–65 µm), exhibit little oxidation, and contain a dense nanoscale dispersion of Ca-rich phases and Mg₂Ca phases. This fine-scale structure shortens water penetration paths and enables continuous hydrolysis reactions. (See Figures 1–2 in the full release.)
Comparison with other materials
Calcium metal flakes react rapidly but are difficult to control; MgH₂ tends to stop reacting due to formation of a dense Mg(OH)₂ surface layer. In contrast, the gas-atomized Ca–Mg eutectic powder balances high output, controllability, safety, and scalability of manufacture, making it an attractive candidate material for practical hydrogen generation.
Implications and future work
The powder is a promising material for portable hydrogen supply devices and emergency power units. Future work will investigate (1) the effect of using seawater instead of pure water, (2) stability and performance after long-term storage, and (3) safety measures and cost estimates for scale-up production.
Definitions
Gas atomization: A process that converts molten metal into fine spherical particles by disintegrating a liquid metal stream with a high-speed gas flow and rapidly solidifying the resulting droplets.
Hydrolysis (in this context): A chemical reaction in which the alloy reacts with water to cleave bonds and produce hydrogen as a reaction product.
END
Gas-atomized Ca–Mg alloy powders produce hydrogen simply by adding water — high-efficiency hydrogen generation at room temperature
2026-01-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran
2026-01-15
Archival discoveries including a 19th-century autobiography transform our understanding of Shadrack Byfield, an English veteran of the War of 1812 who buried his own amputated arm and designed a custom prosthesis. A recurrent character in TV documentaries, books and museum exhibits in the USA and Canada, Byfield has been celebrated as an uncomplaining British soldier. But the new evidence reveals Byfield’s tenacious pursuit of veterans’ benefits and his struggles with pain, poverty, and the police.
‘They came and pushed me about, ...
World-leading rare earth magnet recycling facility launches in UK
2026-01-15
The University of Birmingham today (15 Jan) launched a new West Midlands-based facility for separating and recycling rare earth magnets that will help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of rare earth metals, alloys, and magnets.
Rare earth magnets are amongst the key ‘critical minerals’ that are integral to modern life. They form a core building block in technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, medical equipment, pumps, robotics, and electronics. Demand for these minerals will only increase as the adoption of low-carbon technologies ...
Corday Selden selected for the Oceanography Society Early Career Award
2026-01-14
The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Corday Selden, an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing her outstanding early-career research contributions, leadership in ocean sciences, and exceptional promise for future impact in oceanography. Dr. Selden will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Selden is a marine biogeochemist whose research has fundamentally advanced understanding of how marine microbial processes regulate ocean chemistry and Earth-system function. Her work integrates stable isotope geochemistry, ...
MIT chemists determine the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins
2026-01-14
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is the clumping of proteins called Tau, which form tangled fibrils in the brain. The more severe the clumping, the more advanced the disease is.
The Tau protein, which has also been linked to many other neurodegenerative diseases, is unstructured in its normal state, but in the pathological state it consists of a well-ordered rigid core surrounded by floppy segments. These disordered segments form a “fuzzy coat” that helps determine how Tau interacts with other molecules.
MIT chemists have ...
Same moves, different terrain: How bacteria navigate complex environments without changing their playbook
2026-01-14
Just like every other creature, bacteria have evolved creative ways of getting around. Sometimes this is easy, like swimming in open water, but navigating more confined spaces poses different challenges.
Nevertheless, new research from the University of Chicago shows that a diverse group of bacteria has learned how to use the same basic movements to move through a wide range of environments no matter how complex, from unconstrained fluids to densely packed soil and tissues.
‘Run-and-tumble' vs ‘hop-and-trap'
Some of the most common bacteria, like Salmonella and ...
Severe weather is deadly for vulnerable older adults long after the storm ends, study finds
2026-01-14
Audio: Study summation by Sue Anne Bell
Older adults who were exposed to heavy rainfall after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 faced a 3% increase in the risk of death within the following year, a new University of Michigan study found.
"These findings add to the evidence that disasters don't just cause short-term disruptions. They expose and magnify the underlying fragilities in our health systems," said lead author Sue Anne Bell, U-M associate professor of nursing. "For older adults who rely on regular ...
Expert panel highlights opportunities for improving cancer studies
2026-01-14
At the time of marketing authorization, many questions regarding the optimal use of new cancer drugs remain unanswered. This concerns, for example, the appropriate dosage for different patient groups and treatment duration, but also the comparison of the available treatment options with each other, or the optimal sequence. Because of these gaps in knowledge, the best possible results for patients are often not achieved. This problem has become more acute in recent years because efforts have focused more on accelerating the marketing authorization of new drugs than on optimizing their use in everyday clinical practice.
The ...
Hearing aid prescriptions not associated with changes in memory and thinking
2026-01-14
Highlights:
A new study has found that for people with moderate hearing loss, being prescribed hearing aids had no impact on cognitive test scores.
Following people with moderate hearing loss, researchers compared those prescribed hearing aids to those without prescriptions.
They found both groups had similar average test scores on memory and thinking tests.
However, researchers also found having hearing aid prescriptions was associated with a 33% lower risk of dementia. This finding does not prove that hearing aids reduce the risk. It only shows an association.
While no improvement in cognitive test scores was unexpected, factors like most participants having good cognitive health ...
Seth Zippel selected for The Oceanography Society Early Career Award
2026-01-14
The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Seth Zippel, Assistant Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing his significant early-career research contributions, impact, and exceptional potential for future achievement in oceanography. Dr. Zippel will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Zippel is recognized internationally for advancing the understanding of air–sea–ice interactions, surface gravity waves, and boundary-layer turbulence ...
Jeremy Horowitz selected for The Oceanography Society Early Career Award
2026-01-14
The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Jeremy Horowitz as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing his outstanding early-career research contributions, impact, and promise for continued achievement in oceanography, along with his strong record of mentorship, outreach, and collaborative science. Dr. Horowitz will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Horowitz is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and an internationally ...