Porous nanostructures for hydrogen generation and storage

Abstract

Hydrogen is a viable clean energy source due to its high energy density and the fact that it burns without producing any carbon emissions. Nanostructured materials with tunable porosity have gathered significant attention for both hydrogen generation and hydrogen storage applications. This comprehensive review manuscript provides an in-depth overview of recent advancements in porosity tunability in nanostructures for hydrogen generation and hydrogen storage. With an emphasis on their porosity engineering tactics and their effects on hydrogen production efficiency and hydrogen storage capacity, it covers the synthesis procedures, characterization methodologies, and performance assessment of nanostructured materials. Sol-gel synthesis, hydrothermal synthesis, and chemical vapor deposition are the synthesis techniques covered in this paper. Through the careful control of nanostructured materials' size, shape, and composition, these techniques make it possible to precisely design porosity. These materials are characterized using methods like X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to examine their crystal structure and shape. When evaluating the performance of nanostructured materials, methods like gas chromatography are used to estimate the efficiency of hydrogen generation, and gravimetric and volumetric measurements are used to determine the hydrogen storage capacity. Overall, understanding porosity engineering strategies and their impact on hydrogen generation and storage is crucial for the development of efficient and sustainable energy systems. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects in this field are discussed, aiming to guide future research and development efforts towards efficient and sustainable hydrogen production and storage.