Carnegie Mellon University researcher David Sholl says increased concern about global warming and a need to conserve natural fuel sources prompted him to begin his search for lightweight, low-cost hydrogen-storage materials.

"We are currently studying the use of metal hydrides, such as alanates and borohydrides, to find materials that could ultimately improve the efficiency of hydrogen cars and curb pollution," said Sholl, a professor of chemical engineering.

Sholl's research team is seeking a material that will store larger amounts of hydrogen than can be held in a compressed gas tank, but will still be able to easily release the hydrogen to feed the fuel cell for cars of the future.

"Hydrogen can potentially be produced from domestic resources without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is an attractive vision for a future fuel source," said Sholl, whose research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and performed in collaboration with Professor Karl Johnson of the University of Pittsburgh.

Sholl and Johnson said their research might ultimately result in hydrogen replacing gasoline for vehicles of the future.