H2 Storage in Adsorbents With Various Porous Structure

Hydrogen storage is important for the ‘hydrogen economy’ and the sustainable development for the world [1]. Hydrogen storage was investigated in six nanoporous adsorbents, i.e. two template-synthesized carbons, a super-high surface area carbon (AX-21), a zeolite (NaY), and the ETS-10.

The surface textures of these adsorbents, including area and micropore volumes, were fully characterized [2] and compared while their hydrogen storage capacities were measured at low pressure (1bar), mid-pressure (20bar), and high pressure (80bar), respectively. It was found that the template-synthesized carbon TC-1 and the commercial super-high surface area carbon AX-21 present the best performance at both the low and the high pressures (Figure 1). The relationship between the adsorption capacity, micropore volume as well as the surface areas were discussed [3] . The density and micropore volume were found to be the most critical factors for the high H₂ storage capacity, while the surface area plays the next important role [4].