Hydrogen adsorption in different carbon nanostructures

Hydrogen adsorption in different carbonaceous materials with optimized structure was investigated at room temperature and 77 K. Activated carbon, amorphous carbon nanotubes, SWCNTs and porous carbon samples all show the same adsorption properties. The fast kinetics and complete reversibility of the process indicate that the interaction between hydrogen molecules and the carbon nanostructure is due to physisorption. At 77 K the adsorption isotherm of all samples can be explained with the Langmuir model, while at room temperature the storage capacity is a linear function of the pressure. The surface area and pore size of the carbon materials were characterized by N₂ adsorption at 77 K and correlated to their hydrogen storage capacity. A linear relation between hydrogen uptake and specific surface area (SSA) is obtained for all samples independent of the nature of the carbon material. The best material with a SSA of 2560 m²/g shows a storage capacity of 4.5 wt% at 77 K.     

The effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes graphitization treated with different atmospheres and electrolyte temperatures on electrochemical hydrogen storage

Using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), the present study focuses on their electrochemical hydrogen storage capacities. The results showed that the hydrogen desorption process is composed of two steps with voltages around −0.75 and −0.15 V. Hydrogen adsorption at −0.15 V took place at temperatures above 30 °C, and the amount of energy required for adsorbing hydrogen was 1.68 eV. The hydrogen storage capacity increased with increasing electrolyte temperature from 30 to 60 °C in both steps. The hydrogen storage capacity of the MWCNTs treated at different atmospheres showed that the decrease in the graphitization of MWCNTs led to the increase in hydrogen adsorption. The results also showed that the MWCNTs treated in a CO₂ atmosphere had the highest hydrogen storage capacity at −0.15 V.     

Hydrogen storage in Pd-Ni doped defective carbon nanotubes through the formation of CHx (x = 1, 2)

Hydrogen storage by chemisorption on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was studied. Pristine MWCNTs could only store 0.1 wt.% of hydrogen at 573 K and ambient pressure, however, oxidation treatment to produce defects and subsequent loading with a Pd-Ni catalyst significantly increased the hydrogen storage capacity up to 6.6 wt.%. The hydrogen desorption temperature was above 500 K and an in situ diffuse reflectance IR Fourier-transform spectroscopy study indicated that the hydrogen was stored in the form of CH_x (x = 1, 2) species. The study indicated that the most appropriate hydrogen chemisorption temperature was 550 K. For comparison, oxidized unloaded MWCNTs, oxidized MWCNTs separately loaded with either Pd or Ni, unoxidized fresh MWCNTs loaded with Pd-Ni, and activated carbon loaded with Pd-Ni were studied. The results showed that the defects and Pd-Ni catalyst were two essential factors for the high chemisorption of hydrogen on carbon nanotubes.     

Synthesis of graphene-like nanosheets and their hydrogen adsorption capacity

Graphene-like nanosheets have been synthesized by the reduction of a colloidal suspension of exfoliated graphite oxide. The morphology and structure of the graphene powder sample was studied using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The graphene sheets are found to be in a highly agglomerated state, with many wrinkles. The sample has a BET surface area of 640 m²/g as measured by nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. Hydrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms were measured in the temperature range 77-298 K and at pressures of up to 10 bar. This gives hydrogen adsorption capacities of about 1.2 wt.% and 0.1 wt.% at 77 K and 298 K, respectively. The isosteric heat of adsorption is in the range of 5.9-4 kJ/mol, indicating a favourable interaction between hydrogen and surface of the graphene sheets. The estimated room temperature H₂ uptake capacity of 0.72 wt.% at 100 bar and the isosteric heat of adsorption of our sample are comparable to those of high surface area activated carbons, however significantly better than the recently reported values for graphene and a range of other carbon and nanoporous materials; single and multi walled carbon nanotubes, nanofibers, graphites and zeolites.     

Atypical hydrogen uptake on chemically-activated, ultramicroporous carbon

Hydrogen adsorption on ultramicroporous carbon was investigated at near-ambient temperatures using volumetric and gravimetric methods. The results showed that the main process, physisorption, is accompanied by a slow process of different nature, that causes slow uptake at high pressures and hysteresis on desorption. The combined result is unusually high levels of hydrogen uptake at near-ambient temperatures and pressures (e.g. up to 0.8 wt.% at 25 °C and 2 MPa). The heat of adsorption corresponding to the slow process leading to high uptake (17-20 kJ/mol) is higher than usually reported for carbon materials; the adsorption kinetics is slow, and the isotherms exhibit pronounced hysteresis. These unusual properties were attributed to contributions from polarization-enhanced physisorption induced by traces of alkali metals residual from chemical activation. The results support the hypothesis that polarization-induced physisorption in high surface area carbons modified with traces of alkali metal ions is an alternate route for increasing the hydrogen storage capacity of carbon adsorbents.     

Hydrogen storage properties of Pd nanoparticle/carbon template composites

Theoretical studies predict improved hydrogenation properties for hybrid carbon/metal composites. The hydrogen storage capacity of ordered porous carbon containing Pd clusters was measured. The C/Pd composite was obtained by chemical impregnation of an ordered porous carbon template (CT) with a H₂PdCl₄ solution followed by a reduction treatment. 10 wt.% of palladium clusters were introduced in the carbon porosity; the Pd clusters (2 nm in size) being homogeneously distributed. Thermodynamic hydrogenation properties of both Pd-free CT and the Pd-10 wt.% CT composite have been determined by hydrogen isotherm sorption measurements and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) analysis. The introduction of the palladium into the carbon matrix does not increase the hydrogen storage capacity at 77 K and 1.6 MPa, since here the hydrogen uptake is being attributed to physisorption on the carbon. However, at room temperature and moderate pressure (0.5 MPa), the filling of the CT with 10 wt.% nanocrystalline Pd results in an hydrogen uptake eight times larger than that of the Pd-free CT. After the second cycle, a good reversibility is observed. TDS measurements confirm that the sharp increase of the hydrogen uptake is due to the presence of the Pd clusters in the carbon porosity.     

Physisorption of hydrogen in single-walled carbon nanotubes

The interaction of hydrogen with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was analysed. A SWNT sample was exposed to D₂ or H₂ at a pressure of 2 MPa for 1 h at 298 or 873 K. The desorption spectra were measured by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). A main reversible desorption site was observed throughout the range 77 to 320 K. The activation energy of this peak at about 90 K was calculated assuming first-order desorption. This corresponds to physisorption on the surface of the SWNTs (19.2±1.2 kJ/mol). A desorption peak was also found for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), and also for graphite samples. The hydrogen desorption spectrum showed other small shoulders, but only for the SWNT sample. They are assumed to originate from hydrogen physisorbed at sites on the internal surface of the tubes and on various other forms of carbon in the sample. The nanosized metallic particles (Co:Ni) used for nanotube growth did not play any role in the physisorption of molecular hydrogen on the SWNT sample. Therefore, it is concluded that the desorption of hydrogen from nanotubes is related to the specific surface area of the sample.     

Intrinsic linear scaling of hydrogen storage capacity of carbon nanotubes with the specific surface area

The linear scaling of the gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs and MWNTs) with the specific surface area is investigated at ambient temperature (298 K) and technically relevant pressures (0.9–1.6 MPa). All samples are found to adsorb hydrogen reversibly and their adsorption exhibits type-II BET isotherms according to the IUPAC classification. While there is strong sample-dependency on their pressure–composition isotherms, all of them follow the Henry's Law in the pressure range under consideration. A comparison of the observed slope of specific surface area versus gravimetric storage capacity with that of a theoretically predicted one using a hypothetical condensation model and that of chemically modified carbon nanotubes revealed that the hydrogen storage capacity depends on the accessibility of internal surfaces of nanostructured carbon. The linear scaling of hydrogen storage capacity with the respective specific surface area suggests that the hydrogen adsorption in carbon nanotubes depends on the specific surface area and is irrespective of the type of the nanotubes that is used.     

Hydrogen storage on chemically activated carbons and carbon nanomaterials at high pressures

Hydrogen adsorption measurements have been carried out at different temperatures (298 K and 77 K) and high pressure on a series of chemically activated carbons with a wide range of porosities and also on other types of carbon materials, such as activated carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers. This paper provides a useful interpretation of hydrogen adsorption data according to the porosity of the materials and to the adsorption conditions, using the fundamentals of adsorption. At 298 K, the hydrogen adsorption capacity depends on both the micropore volume and the micropore size distribution. Values of hydrogen adsorption capacities at 298 K of 1.2 wt.% and 2.7 wt.% have been obtained at 20 MPa and 50 MPa, respectively, for a chemically activated carbon. At 77 K, hydrogen adsorption depends on the surface area and the total micropore volume of the activated carbon. Hydrogen adsorption capacity of 5.6 wt.% at 4 MPa and 77 K have been reached by a chemically activated carbon. The total hydrogen storage on the best activated carbon at 298 K is 16.7 g H₂/l and 37.2 g H₂/l at 20 MPa and 50 MPa, respectively (which correspond to 3.2 wt.% and 6.8 wt.%, excluding the tank weight) and 38.8 g H₂/l at 77 K and 4 MPa (8 wt.% excluding the tank weight).     

Hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes modified by microwave plasma etching and Pd decoration

Microwave plasma etching and Pd decoration methods were employed for the modification of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The defects on the nanotube wall increased after the etching process as determined from HRTEM observation and Raman measurement. The defects supplied more hydrogen accesses to the interlayers and hollow interiors of CNTs. The results of hydrogen uptake measurements showed that the etched CNTs had higher hydrogen storage capability than that of the original sample at ambient temperature and pressure of 10.728 MPa. Furthermore, the CNTs decorated with Pd showed a hydrogen storage capability of 4.5 wt.%, about three times higher than that of the non-decorated samples. The hydrogen uptake mechanism of the modified CNTs was discussed.     

Feasibility of tailoring for high isosteric heat to improve effectiveness of hydrogen storage in carbons

The idea that increasing the enthalpy of adsorption increases the adsorptive capacity of carbon and makes it a better storage material for hydrogen is examined here considering the entire adsorption-desorption cycle. Structural modifications of carbon are examined to reveal the complex relationships between the enthalpy of adsorption, the pore volume, and the amount of hydrogen delivered over the course of a single cycle. The results provide an understanding of the connection between enthalpy and effective storage capacity in carbon materials and serve as a guide toward the search for an adsorbent which satisfies the DOE targets. Extensive GCMC simulations show that carbons having single graphene walls are optimal for hydrogen storage and that attempts to increase the enthalpy of adsorption either by increasing the wall thickness or by decreasing the pore size are detrimental to adsorptive capacity over a complete cycle from charging to exhaustion. It is found that carbon nanotubes display the same trend as slit pore carbons. The search for an adsorbent suitable for hydrogen storage should be aimed at the discovery of an entirely new high-capacity adsorbent with an enthalpy of adsorption of 15 kJ/mol, intermediate between that of carbon (4-6 kJ/mol) and metal hydrides (30-75 kJ/mol).     

Effects of electric potential on hydrogen adsorption

Hydrogen adsorption isotherms of activated carbon and its mixture with platinum coated activated carbon under various electric potentials and hydrogen pressures were measured at ambient temperature. Results indicated that electric potential enhanced hydrogen adsorption. The higher the applied electric potential is, the higher the hydrogen adsorption capacity is in the experimental range of 0-3000 V. The total amount of hydrogen adsorption increases with the hydrogen pressure. However, the enhancement is more obvious at hydrogen pressures below 10 bars. The enhancement ratio can reach about 160% at 1.6 bars pressure and 3000 V applied electric potential, but decreases to about 20% at 80 bars pressure under the same voltage. The adsorption enhancement is much more significant for the mixture of platinum coated activated carbon and activated carbon at a ratio of 1-4. At 1.6 bars, the hydrogen adsorption capacity increases from 0.008 wt.% at 0 V to 0.058 wt.% at 2500 V, which is a 625% adsorption enhancement. At 83 bars, the hydrogen adsorption capacity increases from 0.43 wt.% at 0 V to 0.56 wt.% at 2500 V, about 30% adsorption enhancement.     

GCMC simulation of hydrogen physisorption on carbon nanotubes and nanotube arrays

Properties of hydrogen physisorption in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and SWCNT arrays are investigated in detail by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation. The optimization of hydrogen storage capacity at 298 K and 10 MPa as a function of SWCNT diameter, MWCNT inter-tube spacing, and SWCNT array configuration is discussed.     

Hydrogen adsorption and storage on porous materials

The development of safe and efficient methods of hydrogen storage is a prerequisite for the use of hydrogen with fuel cells for transport applications. In this paper, results available for adsorption of hydrogen on porous materials, ranging from activated carbons to metal organic framework materials, are discussed. The results indicate that up to 5 and 7.5 wt% of hydrogen can be stored on porous carbon and metal organic framework materials, respectively, at 77 K. The amounts of hydrogen adsorbed on porous materials at ambient temperatures and high pressures are much lower (0.5 wt%). The strong temperature dependence of hydrogen physisorption on porous materials is a limitation in the application of this method for hydrogen storage in addition to storage capacity requirements.     

Synthesis and characterization of double-walled carbon nanotubes from multi-walled carbon nanotubes by hydrogen-arc discharge

Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) were synthesized in a large scale by a hydrogen arc discharge method using graphite powders or multi-walled carbon nanotubes/carbon nanofibers (MWNTs/CNFs) as carbon feedstock. The yield of DWNTs reached about 4 g/h. We found that the DWNT product synthesized from MWNTs/CNFs has higher purity than that from graphite powders. The results from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that more than 80% of the carbon nanotubes were DWNTs and the rest were single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), and their outer and inner diameters ranged from 1.75 to 4.87 nm and 1.06 to 3.93 nm, respectively. It was observed that the ends of the isolated DWNTs were uncapped and it was also found that cobalt as the dominant composition of the catalyst played a vital role in the growth of DWNTs by this method. In addition, the pore structures of the DWNTs obtained were investigated by cryogenic nitrogen adsorption measurements.     

STORAGE OF HYDROGEN ON CARBON MATERIALS: EXPERIMENTS AND ANALYSES

Superactivated carbon and carbon nanotubes are both considered potential hydrogen carriers. Adsorption isotherms of H₂ on activated carbon AX-21 and multi-wall carbon nanotubes were collected with a volumetric method for the temperature range of 77, 233–298 K and pressures up to 7 or 10 MPa. Based on the experimental data for 233–298 K, the limiting heats of adsorption of 7.6 and 1.8 kJ/mol were obtained for activated carbon and carbon nanotubes, respectively. The absolute adsorption was determined with a recently presented method, and the adsorption behavior of H₂ on carbon nanotubes was thus reasonably explained. A comparison was given for the storage capacities of compression alone and of filling powder or pellets of the two materials. It was concluded that adsorption of H₂ on carbon nanotubes is too weak to enhance storage, but activated carbon enhances storage capacity considerably. The weight percentage of hydrogen stored in carbon powder reaches 10.8% at 77 K and 6 MPa, including the quantity compressed in the void space, and 4.1 kg H₂ was stored in a 100-liter container filled with carbon pellets for the same condition.     

STORAGE OF HYDROGEN ON CARBON MATERIALS: EXPERIMENTS AND ANALYSES

Superactivated carbon and carbon nanotubes are both considered potential hydrogen carriers. Adsorption isotherms of H₂ on activated carbon AX-21 and multi-wall carbon nanotubes were collected with a volumetric method for the temperature range of 77, 233-298 K and pressures up to 7 or 10 MPa. Based on the experimental data for 233-298 K, the limiting heats of adsorption of 7.6 and 1.8 kJ/mol were obtained for activated carbon and carbon nanotubes, respectively. The absolute adsorption was determined with a recently presented method, and the adsorption behavior of H₂ on carbon nanotubes was thus reasonably explained. A comparison was given for the storage capacities of compression alone and of filling powder or pellets of the two materials. It was concluded that adsorption of H₂ on carbon nanotubes is too weak to enhance storage, but activated carbon enhances storage capacity considerably. The weight percentage of hydrogen stored in carbon powder reaches 10.8% at 77 K and 6 MPa, including the quantity compressed in the void space, and 4.1 kg H₂ was stored in a 100-liter container filled with carbon pellets for the same condition.     

State of hydrogen electrochemically stored using nanoporous carbons as negative electrode materials in an aqueous medium

Nanoporous carbons were used as negative electrode material in aqueous KOH medium to store hydrogen by electrodecomposition of water at atmospheric pressure. The storage capacity by this process is approximately one order of magnitude higher than in the gas phase at ambient conditions. By considering the particularities of the electrochemical characteristics, this paper gives information on the mechanism and on the kind of bond between hydrogen and the carbon host. For most experiments, a self-standing porous carbon cloth electrode has been used in order to avoid any side effect which could be due to additives. After galvanostatic hydrogen charging, the carbon material was analyzed by galvanostatic discharge and temperature-programmed desorption in order to determine the nature of the carbon-hydrogen bond and the amount of hydrogen sorbed. The activation energy for hydrogen desorption was estimated to be 110 kJ/mol, that confirms a weak chemical character of the hydrogen-carbon bond. Although the bond is stronger than in the case of physisorption, the fraction of hydrogen irreversibly trapped is low compared to the reversible fraction. Finally, we show that the reversible capacity can be significantly enhanced by increasing the temperature to 60 °C during the electrochemical reduction of water. The well-defined plateau during the oxidation step demonstrates high potentialities of this technique for electrochemical energy storage in nanoporous carbons using an aqueous medium.     

Numerical estimation of hydrogen storage limits in carbon-based nanospaces

Theoretical limits of the hydrogen adsorption in carbon nanospaces are modeled using Monte Carlo simulations. A detailed analysis of storage capacity of slit pores has been performed as a function of the pore size, gas pressure (up to 100 bars) and temperature of adsorption (77 and 298 K). The H₂-slit wall interaction has been modeled assuming energies of adsorption ranging from 4.5 kJ/mol (pure graphene surface) to 15 kJ/mol (hypothetical chemically modified graphene). The quantum nature of H₂ has been incorporated in the calculations using the Feynman-Hibbs approach. It has been shown that in a hypothetical chemically modified porous carbon, with energy of adsorption of 15 kJ/mol or higher and pore size between 0.8 and 1.1 nm, the gravimetric and volumetric storage capacity can achieve targets required for practical applications. The relation between the energy of adsorption and the effective delivery has been discussed.     

The dependence of the hydrogen sorption capacity of single-walled carbon nanotubes on the concentration of catalyst

The adsorption of hydrogen on single-walled carbon nanotubes was measured using micro-gravimetric nitrogen and hydrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K for gas pressures of up to 1 bar (nitrogen) and 12 bar (hydrogen). Results show that surface area and hydrogen uptake depend on the concentration of the iron catalyst used for making the nanotubes. Langmuir fits to the hydrogen uptake curves clearly show two adsorption energies for each sample which we attribute to the groove site for the higher adsorption energy and to the convex tube surface for the lower energy. We also present calculations of the binding energy of hydrogen on these same sites on SWCNTs and confirm that the groove site has a significantly higher (radius-dependent) binding energy than the surface site, consistent with the experimental values. This suggests that the use of the Langmuir model is appropriate to the adsorption of H2 on activated carbons for the temperature and pressure range investigated and could be used as a rapid way of estimating the average tube radius in the sample.