Scientists develop new fuel that ignites only with electricity, promising safer combustion

The team of chemical engineers has created an unusual type of fuel that ignites only when an electrical current is applied. In the absence of a current, the fuel is non-reactive to fire, thereby eliminating the risk of accidental explosions during storage or transportation.

Yujie Wang, a graduate student in Chemical Engineering at UCR and co-author of the study, commented, "Ordinary fuel is not particularly safe. It's volatile, potentially flammable, and challenging to extinguish. Our fuel's flammability is much easier to control. When we disconnect the voltage, combustion is prevented."

The combustion of conventional fuel doesn't actually involve the liquid itself but rather its vapors. Volatile fuel particles from the liquid ignite when they make contact with oxygen and a flame source. Although it seems that simply removing the oxygen supply should kill the fire, this is not as straightforward in practice.

Prithwish Biswas, a Doctoral student in Chemical Engineering at UCR and lead author of the study, explained, "when a match is thrown into a pool of gasoline, the gasoline vapors burn. You can smell the volatile vapors. Control of these vapors means control over combustion."

The foundation for this new fuel is an ionic liquid, essentially liquefied salt. "It's similar to table salt, or sodium chloride," said Wang. "In this project, we opted for a salt that has a lower melting point than table salt, and also has a suppressed vapor pressure being an organic compound."

To make the unconventional fuel, the scientists replaced chlorine in an ionic liquid with perchlorate. During testing, they discovered that the liquid would not ignite when a lighter was applied but ignited effortlessly when influenced by electricity.

"As soon as we cut off the electricity supply, the flame disappeared, and we were able to repeat the ignition and extinguishing process repeatedly at our convenience," Wang noted.

Surprisingly, applying a higher voltage to the liquid resulted in larger flames and greater energy output from combustion. This phenomenon could potentially be manipulated to regulate engine power. By terminating the voltage, such as during an accident, it could prevent a fiery explosion.

The researchers emphasized that in theory, this ionic liquid fuel could, in the future, be utilized in all types of vehicles. However, before it can be commercialized, it still needs to be evaluated further, including tests in different engine types and analysis of its efficiency.

Interestingly, the ionic liquid can be mixed with conventional fuel and it still retains its distinct properties. However, the optimal proportions for this mix are yet to be determined and require further investigation.

The scientists acknowledge that this type of fuel would likely be more expensive than conventional fuels. The exact cost, especially when produced on a larger scale, however, is still uncertain. One thing is clear – the ionic liquid fuel would be significantly safer.