Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Advisor: Dr. Sergie Kucheyev
Calorimetry of hydrogen in porous media
I did my post-doctoral work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). There, I focused on the phase diagram of hydrogen and its isotopes inside porous media in support of the LIFE (Laser Ignition Fusion Energy) program. Below is a diagram of the equipment used for the project. Primarily, it was a cryostat (dry pule-tube) with a cell attached. An automatic gas filling system was attached, where a calibrated amount of gas could be injected into the cell. The cell was then sealed off and allowed to cool off. The phase diagram was measured by measuring the temperature of the cell as a function of time and taking the appropriate derivatives.
Surface Composition of Nanoporous Silica under Ion Bombardment
We bombarded nanoporous silica with ions, and the ion species that was released were measured as a function of irradiation. The species used for the experiment were 1H,4He,20Ne,40Ar, 132Xe.
We conducted mechanical tests on the aerogel. The bombardment released mostly hydrogen and the result was a stiffening of the aerogel, suggesting that the plasticity of the aerogel is related to the hydrogenation of the aerogel.