Chapter 6 - Nanoscale Materials For Hydrogen and Energy Storage

Abstract

This chapter introduces the methods and materials for energy storage and focuses on the storage of hydrogen in nanoscale materials. The increasing need for more energy requires enormous growth in energy generation capacity, more secure and diversified energy sources, and a successful strategy to tame greenhouse gas emissions. Energy storage directly in electrical form can be a simple and convenient option. However, the energy densities that can be obtained by second generation batteries and by supercapacitors are still low and far below the demands of vehicular applications. Moreover, hydrogen storage systems offer a storage capacity, which exceeds that of current batteries by a factor of 5–10. Major efforts are being devoted to building an energy infrastructure that uses hydrogen as the primary energy carrier, connecting a host of energy sources to diverse end uses. A major challenge in implementing a hydrogen economy is the development of efficient and safe storage materials for hydrogen. The storage of hydrogen is one of the key issues that have to be solved for the implementation of a hydrogen economy.