Phys.org February 3, 2020
An international team of researchers (Switzerland, USA – University of Illinois, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Poland) conducted neutron scattering experiments on zirconium vanadium hydride at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures from -450 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as -10 degrees Fahrenheit and observed hydrogen-hydrogen atomic distances in the metal hydride, as small as 1.6 angstroms, compared to the 2.1 angstrom distances predicted for these metals. Computer simulations of the data proved conclusively that the unexpected spectral intensity occurs only when distances between hydrogen atoms are closer than 2.0 angstroms. The findings could possibly facilitate superconductivity at or near room temperature and pressure…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Illustration of a zirconium vanadium hydride atomic structure at near ambient conditions as determined using neutron vibrational spectroscopy and the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Credit: ORNL/Jill Hemman