Hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes revisited

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 48; no. 2; pp. 452 - 455
• Main Authors: Liu, Chang, Chen, Yong, Wu, Cheng-Zhang, Xu, Shi-Tao, Cheng, Hui-Ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Materials science; Physics; Specific materials; Design; Additives; Storage; Energy; Storage capacity; Hydrogen; Ambient temperature; Carbon nanotubes; Kinetics
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2009.09.060

The reported hydrogen uptake of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been the subject of much controversy. We have measured the hydrogen uptake capacity of different types of CNTs using a volumetric measurement setup specifically-designed for CNTs. It was found that under a pressure of ∼12 MPa and at room temperature, the hydrogen storage capacity of the CNTs is less than 1.7 wt.%, which is far below the benchmark set for on-board hydrogen storage systems by the US Department of Energy. These results suggest that it is no longer worth investigating hydrogen uptake in pure CNTs for on-board applications. However, our recent research indicates that CNTs can be an effective additive to some other hydrogen storage materials to improve their kinetics.