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https://theconversation.com/a-new-class-of-metals-could-transform-africas-clean-energy-economy-scientists-explain-282572>
"For centuries, useful metals have been developed by starting with one core
element and adding small amounts of other elements. Steel, for example, is
composed primarily of iron; carbon is added in varied amounts to produce
different grades of steel. Bronze is made up of copper and tin. These mixtures
are known as alloys.
Africa already supplies several of the metals used in alloys. Yet the continent
captures far less value from designing and manufacturing advanced materials
than from mining the ores that make them possible. For example, the continent
supplies about three-quarters of the world’s manganese, 70% of cobalt, and
nearly one-fifth of global copper production, but earns less than 1% of the
value created through manufacturing clean energy technologies that use these
minerals.
In effect, Africa exports wealth in its rawest form and imports value in its
most advanced form. Correcting this imbalance requires a shift from raw mineral
exports to domestic processing, refining, advanced materials production and
manufacturing. It would enable African countries to retain a greater share of
economic value while accelerating industrialisation, fostering innovation, and
promoting sustainable development.
A big advance in metallic materials research provides an opportunity to change
the story. It focuses on high-entropy alloys, an emerging class of metallic
materials that have the potential to transform Africa from a “dig-and-ship”
economy to a leader in material design for hydrogen storage applications.
Hydrogen storage is a clean energy issue.
Instead of one prime metal, high-entropy alloys mix many elements (typically
more than three) in equal or unequal portions. These materials, when optimised,
are often stronger, more resistant to heat and corrosion, and last longer than
most regular alloys. For example, what’s known as Cantor alloy and its variants
are very tough and resist corrosion. Their mechanical properties improve at
cryogenic (very cold) temperatures, making them promising candidates for
certain applications.
The scientific challenge is to predict which combinations produce useful
properties. Our interdisciplinary research team brings together expertise in
materials science and engineering, chemical engineering and computational
materials modelling, with experience in energy materials research. We have been
looking at high-entropy alloys as a solution for an urgent modern problem: how
to store and transport hydrogen safely in clean energy supply chains.
We’ve reviewed computational studies to better understand how alloy composition
affects hydrogen storage. Our findings show how computational techniques can
speed up the identification of good hydrogen storage materials by discovering
interesting metal combinations before testing them in experiments.
The goal is to store hydrogen and release it in ways that can be applied in
vehicles. "
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
