A main obstacle of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles (HFCV’s) has been the lack of a lightweight, safe hydrogen storage material. Tiancun Xiao and Peter P. Edwards, University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues have shown that hydrocarbon wax (paraffin wax on a carbon support (CS)) rapidly releases large amounts of hydrogen when activated with a ruthenium metal catalyst and microwaves.

Wax is a benign material that can be manufactured from sustainable processes. It will not catch fire or contaminate the environment and is safe for drivers and passengers.

• Wax: A benign hydrogen-storage material that rapidly releases H₂-rich gases through microwave-assisted catalytic decomposition,
  S. Gonzalez-Cortes, D. R. Slocombe, T. Xiao, A. Aldawsari, B. Yao, V. L. Kuznetsov, E. Liberti, A. I. Kirkland, M. S. Alkinani, H. A. Al-Megren, J. M. Thomas, P. P. Edwards,
  Sci. Rep. 2016, 6.
  DOI: 10.1038/srep35315