Creators vow lightweight material will be a booster for space travel
27 Oct 2024
Academics in British and Indian universities claim they have developed a revolutionary material for storing liquid hydrogen space rocket propellent.
The new product is said to be lighter than materials currently employed, with the benefit that rockets using it could store more fuel or extra payload.
Coventry University academic Dr Ashwath Pazhani described the work undertaken with colleagues from other institutions as groundbreaking, asserting that it would “leapfrog” current research in the field.
He outlined: “This all started as I was looking for the super lightweight and load-bearing material for external fuel tanks. The material in question has been used since 1993 to store liquid hydrogen and yet in this work we innovatively reinforced this material with nano graphene, creating a new composite out of that.
“We have been able to reduce overall external tank weight by 2%, which is 19,400kg of total weight reduction and that can be utilised towards sending 19 tons of extra payload in every space flight. This means space vessels can travel longer distances as well as carrying more payload.
Pazhani added that, in addition to presenting a significant innovation in liquid hydrogen storage and materials science, the work could claim to be groundbreaking in terms of sustainable solution goals for cleaner, more efficient energy systems.
His research was carried out in collaboration with Professor Anthony Xavior from Vellore Institute of Technology in India, Dr Andre Batako from Liverpool John Moores University and Dr Dirk Honecker at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Pazhani’s former student Alicia Patel, who studied for an aerospace engineering Master’s at Coventry, was also part of the materials testing team.
Pazhani commented: “In addition to its technical merits, it has also played an important role in promoting inclusivity and diversity in STEM, actively encouraging women to participate and lead in scientific breakthroughs. Alicia’s contribution is a shining example of how student involvement can drive impactful research.”
The hope is to develop the material for various applications, including sustainable storage of liquid and gaseous hydrogen in domestic household purposes, underground storage and transport systems.
Read the full research paper in the Journal of Materials Research and Technology.
