When I’m not teaching chemistry, I am working on ways to more effectively use hydrogen to fuel cars. Hydrogen is more powerful than gasoline, but it is also more volatile. The challenge is to find a safe way to store it a fuel tank. That’s where my research comes in.

My students and I are looking into using pure metals to store hydrogen in cars. Here’s why: picture a sponge, which expands when filled with water. Pure metals can expand to hold hydrogen. And when hydrogen is stored in metal, it is completely non-flammable.

There are drawbacks. Some metals are brittle, meaning the fuel tanks could break apart. That is one problem my students and I are trying to solve.

My research also provides a way for me to teach my students some of the fundamental concepts of chemistry. One of my most popular lectures includes exploding balloons to demonstrate the flammability of hydrogen.