Hydrogen adsorption on sulphur-doped SiC nanotubes

Abstract

Hydrogen (H2) is an energy carrier and clean fuel that can be used for a broad range of applications that include fuel cell vehicles. Therefore, development of materials for hydrogen storage is demanded. Nanotubes, in this context, are appropriate materials. Recently, silicon carbide nanotube (SiCNTs) have been predicted as potential nanomaterials for hydrogen storage, and atomic doping into the nanotubes improves the H2 adsorption. Here, we report H2 adsorption properties of sulphur-doped (S-doped) SiCNTs using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The H2 adsorption properties are investigated by calculations of energy band structures, density of states (DOS), adsorption energy and Mulliken charge population analysis. Our findings show that, compared to the intrinsic SiCNT, S-doped SiCNT is more sensitive to H2 adsorption. H2 gas adsorption on S-doped C-sites of SiCNT brings about significant modulation of the electronic structure of the nanotube, which results in charge transfer from the nanotube to the gas, and dipole–dipole interactions cause chemisorptions of hydrogen. However, in the case of H2 gas adsorption on S-doped Si-sites of the nanotube, lesser charge transfer from the nanotube to the gas results in physisorptions of the gas. The efficient hydrogen sensing properties of S-doped SiCNTs, studied here, may have potential for its practical realization for hydrogen storage application.