Optimum interlayer distance for hydrogen storage in pillared-graphene oxide determined by H2 pressure-dependent electrical conductance

To establish the relation between optimum interlayer distance for hydrogen storage and electrical conductance, we measured the electrical conductance (G) of 3-dimensional graphene oxide (GOA) depending on high H₂ pressure, from vacuum to 20 bar. The GOA was synthesized using diaminoalkanes with two lengths of alkyl chains, and the interlayer distance of GOA was modulated by thermal annealing. A decrease in G was observed as the H₂ pressure increased. The maximum variation in G was observed at 7.0 Å of interlayer distance. When the interlayer distance-dependent H₂ uptake was considered, we confirmed that the maximum variation in G as well as optimum H₂ uptake occurred at the same interlayer distance, 7.0 Å. The variation in G due to H₂ exposure provides understanding about the behavior of hydrogen molecules on these materials and on the modulation of the electronic structure of the materials.     

Ionothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic H2 generation

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation is one of the most promising solutions to convert light energy into green chemical energy. In the present work, methoxy ethyl methyl imidazolium methyl sulphonate ionic liquid is used for the synthesis of i-TiO₂ nanoparticles via ionothermal method at 120 °C. The obtained products were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques like XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV–visible, DRS, TEM and TG-DSC analysis. XRD pattern confirmed the anatase phase with minor rutile phase having average crystallite size of 5 nm. From the FTIR spectrum, the band appeared at ～547 cm^?1 confirmed the Ti–O–Ti stretching and also few bands of ionic liquid. UV–vis spectrum clearly reveals the blue shift due to size effect of TiO₂. The spherical surface structure and particle size (15–30 nm) have been studied in detail using TEM images. Finally, the practical applicability of the as synthesized i-TiO₂ nanoparticles is shown by using it as a photocatalyst towards the generation of H₂ through water splitting reaction and it is found to be 462 μmol h^?1g^?1.     

Investigation of novel mixed metal ferrites for pure H2 and CO2 production using chemical looping

The mixed metal oxides NiFe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ are candidate materials for the Chemical Looping Hydrogen (CLH) process, which produces pure and separate streams of H₂ and CO₂ without the use of complicated and expensive separations equipment. In the CLH process, syngas reduces a metal oxide, oxidizing the H₂ and CO in the syngas to H₂O and CO₂, and “stores” the chemical energy of the syngas in the reduced metal oxide. The reduced metal oxide is then oxidized in steam to regenerate the original metal oxide and produce H₂. In this study, we report thermodynamic modeling and experimental results regarding the syngas reduction and H₂O oxidation of NiFe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ to determine the feasibility of their use in the CLH process. Modeling predicts the oxidation of nearly all the CO and H₂ in syngas to H₂O and CO₂ during the reduction step for both materials, and regeneration of the mixed metal spinel phase during oxidation with excess H₂O. Laboratory tests in a packed bed reactor confirmed over 99% conversion of H₂ and CO to H₂O and CO₂ during reduction of NiFe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄. Powder XRD analysis of the reduced materials showed, in accordance with thermodynamic predictions, the presence of a spinel phase and a metallic phase. High reactivity of the reduced NiFe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ with H₂O was observed, and XRD analysis confirmed re-oxidation to NiFe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ under the conditions tested. When compared with a conventional Fe-based CLH material, the mixed metal spinels showed a higher extent of reduction under the same conditions, and produced four times the H₂ per mass of active material than the Fe-based material. Analysis of the H₂ and CO consumed in the reduction and the H₂ produced during the oxidation showed over 90% conversion of the H₂ and CO in syngas back to H₂ during oxidation.     

Feasibility of H2 sensors composed of tungsten oxide nanocluster films

The hydrogen (H₂) sensing properties, including the sensor response, response time and recovery time, of different sensor architectures based on tungsten oxide (WO₃) were investigated to assess the feasibility of using WO₃ in producing practical H₂ sensors. Each of the different sensor architectures consists of 3 layers. The first layer is a 2.5-nm palladium (Pd) layer, which is always deposited onto a highly porous WO₃ nanocluster layer. The third layer is an Au/Ti electrode layer, which may be constructed in the form of interdigitated electrodes or 5 × 5 mm² pad electrodes, which is located either on the top surface of the Pd layer or at the bottom of the WO₃ film. Furthermore, the WO₃ layer was also constructed to be either 11.2 nm or 153 nm thick. The sensor design consisting of a 2.5-nm Pd layer on an 11.2-nm WO₃ layer with interdigitated electrodes at the bottom of the layer was found to exhibit the best overall H₂ sensing properties, with excellent cyclic stability over 600 cycles of operation.     

Enhancement of H2 uptake due to morphological modulation in vanadium pentoxide foam

The high pressure H₂ sorption isotherms for vanadium pentoxide foam (VOF) were obtained at a liquid nitrogen temperature. The enhancement of hydrogen storage capacity occurred in as-prepared VOF (∼1.0 wt%) in contrast to that in pristine vanadium pentoxide (∼0.2 wt%). The maximum capacity of hydrogen storage (∼2.0 wt%) was achieved by thermal annealing at T_a = 623 K. The enhancement of hydrogen storage in VOF is attributed to the morphological modulation by thermal annealing.     

Quantification of “delivered” H2 by a volumetric method to test H2 storage materials

We set up and validated a volumetric method to quantify the amount of hydrogen “delivered” after saturation of a solid material as adsorber at different pressures (up to 100 kg_f/cm²) and temperatures (down to 77 K). This is the practically most relevant datum to quantify the effectiveness of an adsorbent for the present application. A complementary dynamic method has been also developed to take into account the reversibility of adsorption and to assess in at least a semi-quantitative way the strength of interaction between H₂ and the adsorbent. The method has been applied to compare the hydrogen storage capacity of some significant different carbon-based materials (two active carbons and one graphite), as supplied or after thermal treatments under oxidising or reducing conditions. The best results, ca. 7 wt% H₂ “delivered”, were achieved after saturation at 77 K, 20 kg_f/cm² with an active carbon with ca. 3000 m²/g of apparent specific surface area. The thermal treatments, almost always inducing a drop in surface area, showed effective only for saturation at 273 K, in particular the oxidising procedure. This was correlated to the formation of surface oxidised species, likely carboxylic groups, which improved the interaction strength between H₂ and the adsorbent.     

High temperature H2/CO2 separation using cobalt oxide silica membranes

In this work high quality cobalt oxide silica membranes were synthesized on alumina supports using a sol–gel, dip coating method. The membranes were subsequently connected into a steel module using a graphite based proprietary sealing method. The sealed membranes were tested for single gas permeance of He, H₂, N₂ and CO₂ at temperatures up to 600 °C and feed pressures up to 600 kPa. Pressure tests confirmed that the sealing system was effective as no gas leaks were observed during testing. A H₂ permeance of 1.9 × 10⁻⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ was measured in conjunction with a H₂/CO₂ permselectivity of more than 1500, suggesting that the membranes had a very narrow pore size distribution and an average pore diameter of approximately 3 Å. The high temperature testing demonstrated that the incorporation of cobalt oxide into the silica matrix produced a structure with a higher thermal stability, able to resist thermally induced densification up to at least 600 °C. Furthermore, the membranes were tested for H₂/CO₂ binary feed mixtures between 400 and 600 °C. At these conditions, the reverse of the water gas shift reaction occurred, inadvertently generating CO and water which increased as a function of CO₂ feed concentration. The purity of H₂ in the permeate stream significantly decreased for CO₂ feed concentrations in excess of 50 vol%. However, the gas mixtures (H₂, CO₂, CO and water) had a more profound effect on the H₂ permeate flow rates which significantly decreased, almost exponentially as the CO₂ feed concentration increased.     

Surface adsorption and encapsulated storage of H2 molecules in a cagelike (MgO)12 cluster

Cluster-based materials are candidate materials for solid-state hydrogen storage owing to their special geometric and electronic structures. The surface adsorption and the encapsulated storage of H₂ molecules in a cagelike (MgO)₁₂ cluster have been studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations including a dispersion interaction. The results revealed that the cagelike (MgO)₁₂ cluster surface can adsorb 24 H₂ molecules with an average adsorption energy of 0.116 eV/H₂, which brings about a gravimetric density of 9.1 wt%. Compared with dispersion-corrected DFT calculations, the traditional DFT method substantially underestimates the surface adsorption strength. According to symmetric configurations, a maximum capacity of six H₂ molecules can be stored in the interior space of the cagelike (MgO)₁₂ cluster. The encapsulated H₂ molecules are trapped by stepwise energy barriers of 0.433–2.550 eV, although the storage is an endothermic process. The present study will be beneficial for hydrogen storage in cagelike clusters and assembled porous materials.     

Effect of ZrO2 addition on Ni/Al2O3 catalyst to produce H2 from glycerol

In this work, ZrO₂ was employed as support and as Al₂O₃ modifier of Ni based catalysts due to its special interesting characteristics. The catalytic activity of these systems was studied in steam reforming of glycerol to produce H₂. As the activity results at 773 K and 873 K showed, the NiZ catalyst allowed low glycerol conversion and H₂ production when compared to the NiγA catalyst. Moreover, the NiZ catalyst was not able to reform intermediate liquid products into gaseous products.     

Hydrogen permeation through a Pd-based membrane and RWGS conversion in H2/CO2, H2/N2/CO2 and H2/H2O/CO2 mixtures

This study investigated the effect of gases such as CO₂, N₂, H₂O on hydrogen permeation through a Pd-based membrane −0.012 m² – in a bench-scale reactor. Different mixtures were chosen of H₂/CO₂, H₂/N₂/CO₂ and H₂/H₂O/CO₂ at temperatures of 593–723 K and a hydrogen partial pressure of 150 kPa. Operating conditions were determined to minimize H₂ loss due to the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. It was found that the feed flow rate had an important effect on hydrogen recovery (HR). Furthermore, an identification of the inhibition factors to permeability was determined. Additionally, under the selected conditions, the maximum hydrogen permeation was determined in pure H₂ and the H₂/CO₂ mixtures. The best operating conditions to separate hydrogen from the mixtures were identified.     

Catalytic transformation of H2S for H2 production

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas is a by-product from natural gas refining, hydrodesulfurization of various fossil fuels, and syngas cleaning from pyrolysis and gasification. Catalytic pyrolysis of H₂S provides an alternative and effective pathway to recover both H₂ and sulfur. Catalysts from hydrotalcite of ZnAl, ZnNiAl, and ZnFeAl were employed for H₂S pyrolysis and compared with TiO₂ and MoS₂ at atmospheric pressure and temperatures in the range of 923–1123 K. Kinetic analysis was carried out in a packed bed reactor which revealed the effect of H₂S partial pressures to be of the order of 0.8–1 with respect to H₂S. The developed novel catalysts showed improved performance with significantly reduced activation energy compared to TiO₂ by 30 kJ/mol as well as higher H₂S conversion during pyrolysis (17% at 1173 K) than with MoS₂ catalyst, even at high H₂S partial pressure which is necessary for viable hydrogen production. The new approach showed an alternate economical and efficient pathway of catalyst design to obtain high activity and stability for simultaneous H₂ energy and pure sulfur recovery from unwanted H₂S resources.     

Role of S-S interlayer spacing on the hydrogen storage mechanism of MoS2

Hydrogen storage mechanism and hydrogen storage capacity are the great challenges for the development of hydrogen energy technology. Besides the better catalytic properties, it is crucial to search for suitable material that provides enough space to store H₂ molecule. Similar to graphene, MoS₂ with S-S layered structure opens up a new way to improve the hydrogen storage capacity. By using the first-principles calculations, in this work, we investigate the hydrogen diffusion mechanism, hydrogenation process and hydrogen storage capacity of MoS₂ with S-S interlayer. We find that hydrogen prefers to diffuse into S-S interlayer along the interstitial site (path: IT-IT). H₂ molecule is a stable in S-S interlayer because the charge interaction of H-H atoms is stronger than that of H-S atoms. Finally, we predict that MoS₂ with S-S layered-by-layered stacking can effectively improve the hydrogen storage capacity.     

In situ X-ray diffraction under H2 of the pseudo-AB2 compounds: YNi3.5Al0.5Mg

The hydrogenation and dehydrogenation behaviours of the YNi_3.5Al_0.5Mg compound were studied by in situ X-ray diffraction under hydrogen pressure and at room temperature. The changes of (i) the lattice parameters, (ii) the crystallite size and (iii) the lattice strain during the sorption process (i.e. along the PC isotherms) were studied. These results indicate that the crystallite size decreases by a factor of 2. The micro deformations increase at first and then tend to almost zero at the end of the sorption cycle. This behaviour is explained in terms of co-existence of the metal (i.e. α$\alpha$ phase) and metal hydride (i.e. β$\beta$ phase) phases. The change in crystallinity is consistent with the hydrogen induced amorphisation process existing in a lot of AB₂ compounds. No anisotropic effects can be highlighted on this pseudo-AB₂ compounds in contrary with what could be observed in AB₅ compounds.     

Hydride phase formation in LaMg2Ni during H2 absorption

Hydrogen absorption and desorption properties in nanocrystalline LaMg₂Ni are presented. Nanostructured phases have been obtained by milling grain coarse ingot and by mechanically alloying the parent elements. The structural and hydriding properties were examined by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and thermal desorption measurements. Ball milling and mechanical alloying give a significant refinement of the microstructure. Reactive milling has been used for hydrogen absorption experiments. Hydrogenation by means of reactive milling at 300 K under a pressure of 0.4 MPa leads to the formation of a stable La-hydride phase together with an amorphous phase. Thermal desorption up to 983 K of hydrogenated samples leads again to parent LaMg₂Ni phase.     

The adsorption of H2 on Fe-coated C5H5 and its application in hydrogen storage

Based on density functional theory, the capacities of FeC₅H₅, Fe₂C₅H₅ and one-dimensional (FeC₅H₅)_∞ nanowire as hydrogen storage media were investigated. The results show that FeC₅H₅ and Fe₂C₅H₅ can adsorb five and ten H₂ molecules, respectively, and form stable FeC₅H₅(H₂)₅ and Fe₂C₅H₅(H₂)₁₀ systems. The hydrogen storage capacities of the two systems are 7.63 wt% and 10.15 wt%, while the average adsorption energies are 0.49 and 0.73 eV/H², indicating that FeC₅H₅ and Fe₂C₅H₅ are excellent hydrogen storage media. In addition, (FeC₅H₅)_∞ nanowire can also adsorb H₂ molecules (1.62 wt%). Most importantly, the magnetic and electrical properties of the nanowire are sensitive to the additional H₂, thus (FeC₅H₅)_∞ can be used for selecting and detecting H₂ molecules.     

Convenient storage of concentrated hydrogen peroxide as a CaO2·2H2O2(s)/H2O2(aq) slurry for energy storage applications

Prior investigations have proposed, and successfully implemented, a stand-alone supply of aqueous hydrogen peroxide for use in fuel cells. An apparent obstacle for considering the use of aqueous hydrogen peroxide as an energy storage compound is the corrosive nature of the nominally required 50 wt.% maximum concentration. Here we propose storage of concentrated hydrogen peroxide in a high weight percent solid slurry, namely the equilibrium system of CaO₂·2H₂O₂(s)/H₂O₂(aq), that mitigates much of the risk associated with the storage of such high concentrations. We have prepared and studied surrogate slurries of calcium hydroxide/water that are assumed to resemble the peroxo compound slurries. These slurries have the consistency of a paste rather than a distinct two-phase (liquid plus solid) system. This paste-like property of the prepared surrogates enable them to be contained within a 200 lines-per-inch. (LPI) nickel mesh screen (33.6% open area) with no solids leakage, and only liquid transport driven by an adsorbent material is placed in physical contact on the exterior of the screen. This hydrogen peroxide slurry approach suggests a convenient and safe mechanism of storing hydrogen peroxide for use in, say, vehicle applications. This is because fuel cell design requires only aqueous hydrogen peroxide use, that can be achieved using the separation approach utilizing the screen material here. This proposed method of storage should mitigate hazards associated with unintentional spills and leakage issues arising from aqueous solution use.     

H2 storage on single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The adsorption of hydrogen on single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was investigated at 77 and 298 K, in the pressure range of 0–1000 Torr. The adsorption isotherms indicate that adsorption follows the Langmuir model. Hydrogen uptakes were found to depend strongly on the nature of the CNTs. Single-walled CNTs adsorb significantly higher quantities of hydrogen per unit mass of the solid, while the opposite is true on a per unit surface area basis. This observation implies that adsorption takes place selectively on specific sites on the surface. The hydrogen uptake capacity of CNTs was also found to be affected by the purity of the materials, increasing with increasing purity. Temperature programmed desorption indicated that relatively strong adsorption bonds develop between adsorbent and adsorbate and that a single type of adsorption site exists on the solid surface.     

One-compartment electrochemical H2 generator from borohydride

A one-compartment membrane-less electrochemical H₂ generator from borohydride was realized using a Rh porphyrin and RuO₂ as the anode and cathode, respectively. H₂ generation from this cell was successfully controlled electrochemically by varying the potential applied. The regulation of H₂ generation was based on the selectivity of the anode and cathode. We found that RuO₂ exhibits H₂O electro-reduction activity without electro-oxidation or chemical decomposition of borohydride, and used the catalyst as a selective cathode in the electrochemical H₂ generator. Anode and cathode potentials of the electrochemical H₂ generator were measured separately. The both potentials were discussed in terms of the catalytic activities of a Rh porphyrin and RuO₂.     

Synthesis of BaFe12O19 by solid state method and its effect on hydrogen storage properties of MgH2

Previous studies have shown that ferrites give a positive effect in improving the hydrogen sorption properties of magnesium hydride (MgH₂). In this study, another ferrite, i.e., BaFe₁₂O₁₉, has been successfully synthesised via the solid state method, and it was milled with MgH₂ to enhance the sorption kinetics. The result showed that the MgH₂ + 10 wt% BaFe₁₂O₁₉ sample started to release hydrogen at about 270 °C which is about 70 °C lower than the as-milled MgH₂. The doped sample was able to absorb hydrogen for 4.3 wt% in 10 min at 150 °C, while as-milled MgH₂ only absorbed 3.5 wt% of hydrogen under similar conditions. The desorption kinetic results showed that the doped sample released about 3.5 wt% of hydrogen in 15 min at 320 °C, while the as-milled MgH₂ only released about 1.5 wt% of hydrogen. From the Kissinger plot, the apparent activation energy of the BaFe₁₂O₁₉-doped MgH₂ sample was 115 kJ/mol which was lower than the milled MgH₂ (141 kJ/mol)_. Further analyses demonstrated that MgO, Fe and Ba or Ba-containing contribute to the improvement by serving as active species, thus enhancing the MgH₂ for hydrogen storage.     

CuO nanosheets grown on cupper foil as the catalyst for H2O2 electroreduction in alkaline medium

The growth of CuO nanosheet arrays on Cu foil was demonstrated. The morphology and structure of the CuO were examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The catalytic performance of the obtained CuO/Cu electrode for hydrogen peroxide electroreduction in 3.0 mol dm⁻³ KOH was evaluated by means of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The CuO/Cu electrode shows an onset potential for H₂O₂ electroreduction comparable to Co₃O₄ nanowire arrays grown on Ni foam and around 100 mV more negative than precious metal catalysts, such as Pt and Pd, demonstrating its good catalytic activity for H₂O₂ electroreduction. The stabilized mass current density for H₂O₂ electroreduction on the CuO/Cu electrode at −0.3 V reached about 57% of that on Co₃O₄ nanowire arrays grown on nickel foam. Compared to conventional fuel cell electrodes fabricated by mixing active materials with conducting agents and polymer binders, this electrode of CuO nanosheet arrays directly grown on Cu has superior mass transport property, which combining with its low-cost and facile preparation, make it a promising electrode for fuel cell using H₂O₂ as the oxidant.