2:17 p.m., Jan. 18, 2011----Pushing the boundaries of materials technology.

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That's the focus of the Public Broadcasting Service series NOVA's Making Stuff: Stronger, Smaller, Cleaner, Smarter. The show, which airs at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning Jan. 19, explores scientific innovations shaping the material world we live in.

The University of Delaware's Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources (ACRES) program will be featured in the Making Stuff: Cleaner segment Feb. 2, when host David Pogue examines the emerging science and business of clean energy.

Richard Wool, UD professor of chemical engineering, and Erman Senoz, a doctoral student, will report on research concerning the use of carbonized chicken feather fibers to store hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles.

“In order to have a car that runs on hydrogen you need a fuel-cell, but to drive any real distance, you need a suitable way to store the hydrogen within the vehicle,” explains Wool. “Chicken feather fibers are an agricultural waste with great potential to become a main hydrogen storage material because of their hollow structure and low cost.”

In addition to hydrogen storage, Wool is using bio-based materials in support of several other renewable energy projects, such as wind, solar and energy efficient housing, as practical clean energy solutions to global warming.

The ACRES program, led by Wool, is a green engineering effort that began more than a decade ago at the University's Center for Composite Materials. The program taps into a variety of research fields ranging from genetic engineering, food science, composites manufacturing science and materials synthesis to mechanics, advanced materials characterization and computer simulation.

The other NOVA: Making Stuff segments Stronger, Smarter and Smaller air on Jan. 19, Jan. 26 and Feb. 9, respectively. The program is produced by WGBH and Powderhouse Productions.

Article by Karen B. Roberts