When you think of hydrogen, the humble little element with a singular electron, it’s probably in its gaseous state. In fact, hydrogen is most the abundant element in the entire universe and makes up around 75% of its entire mass! It’s most recognizable when paired with oxygen to create H20, or water. Hydrogen is also a source of nuclear energy and its capabilities have been explored for centuries. While its resume is already pretty extensive, one more use for hydrogen is in the works. Researchers at Harvard have discovered a way to metalize the element, opening up an entirely new realm of applications. How Does it Work? One way to bring hydrogen to a solid state is to apply enormous, possibly inconceivable, amounts of pressure to it. In fact, to produce metallic hydrogen, scientists had to apply more pressure than exists at the Earth’s core! When pressurized like this, hydrogen breaks down to its atomic state and can then be reconfigured in the preferred, metallic form. What Does it Do? As of now, the main focus for metallic hydrogen is to improve rocket fuel. In layman’s terms, current rocket fuel has its limitations. It can only maintain its propulsion for so long, limiting the distance a rocket can travel over time. What the developers assert is that by developing a new type of fuel based on metallic hydrogen, rockets will be able to enter orbit much more quickly and could even be propelled deeper into space than previously thought possible! There is also the thought that metallic hydrogen could be used as a new type of superconductor. Because it would not give off heat and energy, we would lose less in the process. Wait, This is a Magnet Blog True. We strive to bring you all the latest magnetic news, so why are we talking about rocket fuel? Well, another promising application for metallic hydrogen is a role in magnetic levitation for high-speed transportation like hyperloops. Just as with rockets, the metallic hydrogen would allow the magnetic levitation to function much more efficiently and require a whole lot less energy. In other words, thanks to this new discovery, magnetic levitation in high-speed rails could become much more efficient and cost-effective! Learn more about magnetic levitation and other breaking magnetic news by checking out the rest of our blog!