A team at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, has shown that crystal symmetry in vanadium acts as a switch for hydrogen’s quantum tunneling versus classical hopping, offering a new design rule for solid-state hydrogen storage materials.
When it comes to hydrogen as a zero-emission energy carrier, a big part of the puzzle is figuring out how to store it safely while still allowing for quick charging and discharging. Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo have discovered something pretty intriguing: a basic property called crystal symmetry can actually toggle how hydrogen atoms behave in vanadium metal. This breakthrough could pave the way for better solid-state hydrogen storage—an essential piece of the puzzle for our future hydrogen infrastructure.
Quantum vs Classical Transport: The Core Discovery
The team at IIS, led by research…
