Oxygen-rich microporous carbons with exceptional hydrogen storage capacity

Blankenship, Troy Scott; Balahmar, Norah; Mokaya, Robert

Abstract

Porous carbons have been extensively investigated for hydrogen storage but, to date, appear to have an upper limit to their storage capacity. Here, in an effort to circumvent this upper limit, we explore the potential of oxygen-rich activated carbons. We describe cellulose acetatederived carbons that combine high surface area (3800 m2 g-1) and pore volume (1.8 cm3 g-1) that arise almost entirely (> 90%) from micropores, with an oxygen-rich nature. The carbons exhibit enhanced gravimetric hydrogen uptake (8.1 wt% total, and 7.0 wt% excess) at -196 ºC and 20 bar, rising to a total uptake of 8.9 wt% at 30 bar, and exceptional volumetric uptake of 44 g l-1 at 20 bar, and 48 g l-1 at 30 bar. At room temperature they store up to 0.8 wt% (excess) and 1.2 wt% (total) hydrogen at only 30 bar, and their isosteric heat of hydrogen adsorption is above 10 kJ mol-1.

Citation

Blankenship, T. S., Balahmar, N., & Mokaya, R. (in press). Oxygen-rich microporous carbons with exceptional hydrogen storage capacity. Nature Communications, 8, Article 1545. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01633-x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 5, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Nov 16, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 20, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 20, 2017
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Article Number: 1545
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01633-x
• Keywords: hydrogen storage materials; materials chemistry; porous materials
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/895105
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01633-x