Nanoscale materials are so small only an electron microscope can see them. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. To put that into perspective, a human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide.

Two scientists at the University of Idaho are creating tiny springs of 10-40 nanometers wide. Apparently, the springs are desirable due to their surface area and can be formed into mats that allow stored materials, such as hydrogen, to be easily removed. Plus, they are very cheap to manufacture.

The storage of hydrogen has been a hot topic on this site's comments and for fuel cell development. Many people are concerned with the high pressure containers used to store the hydrogen. I don't think anyone out there knows if this is a technology that will take off and make hydrogen storage more economical or safer, but research is indeed being done to assist the possible "hydrogen economy", whether or not that becomes reality.

Related:

• Infozine question from reader: Is hydrogen safe for automobiles?
• Using ethylene and titanium to store hydrogen

[Source: The Idaho Statesman]