Application of Metals Modified Carbon Based Material for Hydrogen Storage

Abstract

The dependence on fossil fuel caused negative impact on the environment. It was predicted that the fossil fuel will be depleted in the near future. Various studies have been conducted to search for alternative clean energy supply.Hydrogen arises as a potential candidate due to its high energy storage and clean combustion of water vapor. However, the wide application of hydrogen energy met challenges.The hydrogen was often need to be stored in compressed tank and under specific pressures. It will require fossil fuel to provide the energy for the storage process. In order to solve that issue, different materials have been researched to store hydrogen at atmosphere pressure and room temperature.Nanomaterials materials have been used in many applications [1-30]. Carbon based materials are very attractive in many applications ranging from water purifications, catalysts support, gases purification and storage.In this study, we utilize cobalt, and nickel to improve the hydrogen storage ability of activated carbon. The activated carbon used in this study, derived from sustainable coconut shells.The structure and chemical composition of the composites was confirmed by using Powder X-Ray Diffraction (P-XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The BET surface area as well as the hydrogen uptake of all materials were measured using Micromeritics ASAP 2020.In conclusion, the hydrogen uptake data show that carbon-based material synthesized in this study significantly enhanced the hydrogen storage capacity. For example, the percentage of hydrogen uptake for nickel modified activated carbon was 5%.