Nanocatalysts are being studied as fuel additives for cleaner, faster supersonic jets. An interdisciplinary team of scientists led by engineers from the University of Princeton have been awarded a $3-million grant to study how fuel additives made of tiny nanocatalysts can help supersonic jets fly faster and make diesel engines cleaner and more efficient.

The funding comes from the Air Force as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Research program.

A fundamental barrier to faster supersonic aircraft is the need for faster operating speeds for their engines. This means that fuel must move faster through engines, but the ignition time and burn rate of current jet fuels limit the speed of the engines.

The Princeton-led team has proposed a solution based on the use of graphene -- molecular sheets of carbon atoms. Tiny particles or “nanocatalysts” of the substance have been shown to help fuels ignite and burn faster by lowering the temperature at which the fuel ignites.

The catalyst might also be used to reduce the amount of nitric oxide produced by diesel engines or accelerate soot oxidation rates, which could reduce the pollution and fuel use.

- Katrice R. Jalbuena

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Sources:

¹ http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S24/78/47G81/index.xml?section=topstories
² http://www.princeton.edu/main/