*** 96-61081 Bryan This project addresses development of new materials for hydrogen-separation membranes. The objective of Phase I is to demonstrate that a new group of metal alloys can be designed to deliver high hydrogen permeability at reduced cost via manipulation of the two factors that most strongly govern hydrogen permeability in palladium alloys the lattice spacing, and the favorable donation of electron density to the palladium 4d electron band. Candidate alloys will be fabricated and tested for cost-normalized hydrogen permeability. Phase I is expected to demonstrate the validity of this approach for developing new high-performance, low-cost hydrogen-permeable alloys. Low-cost, high performance metal membranes will be practical for a broad range of applications that cannot be economically addressed with current metal membranes. These applications include the heat-treating of metals, production of glass, hydrogenation of edible fats and oils, petroleum refining, olefins and aromatics manufacture, semiconductor manufacturer, and the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel. ***
