Hydrogen adsorption and storage on Palladium – functionalized graphene with NH-dopant: A first principles calculation

Abstract

We conducted a detailed theoretical investigation of the structural and electronic properties of single and double sided Pd-functionalized graphene and NH-doped Pd-functionalized graphene, which are shown to be efficient materials for hydrogen storage. Nitrene radical dopant was an effective addition required for enhancing the Pd binding on the graphene sheet as well as the storage of hydrogen. We found that up to eight H2 molecules could be adsorbed by double-sided Pd-functionalized graphene at 0K with an average binding energy in the range 1.315–0.567eVA gravimetric hydrogen density of 3.622wt% was reached in the Pd-functionalized graphene on both sides. The binding mechanism of H2 molecules came not only the polarization mechanism between Pd and H atoms but also from the binding of the Pd atoms on the graphene sheet and the orbital hybridization. The most crucial part of our work is measuring the effect of nitrene radical on the H2 adsorption on Pd-functionalized graphene. Our calculations predicted that the addition of NH radicals on Pd-functionalized graphene enhance the binding of H2 molecules, which helps also to avoid the desorption of Pd(H2)n (n=1–5) complexes from graphene sheet. Our results also predict Pd-functionalized NH-doped graphene is a potential hydrogen storage medium for on-board applications.