Facile production of highly porous graphitic nanosheets for enhanced hydrogen storage

Abstract

Graphitic nanosheets as a two-dimensional material are renowned an ideal candidate for efficient adsorbents due to their rapid adsorption kinetics and superior capacity. This study presents a facile method to develop highly porous graphitic nanosheets (PGNs) from converted carbon blacks (CBs) for hydrogen (H2) storage. The CBs, containing interconnected amorphous and graphitic domains, allows the introduction of numerous H2-friendly adsorption sites during PGNs production. The resulting PGNs show large sheets of 3–5 μm and thicknesses of ∼ 2.5 nm, boasting a remarkable specific surface area of 2,644 m2/g with significant total H2 storage capacities of 11.5 wt% (3.8 kWh kg−1 @ 77 K) and 2.6 wt% (0.87 kWh kg−1, @ 298 K) at 60 bar. This research introduces a promising strategy to enhance PGNs's H2 storage capabilities, paving the way for diverse energy-related fields.