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Updated: May 16, 2026

A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions
Published on: August 17, 2016
Open carbon frameworks - a search for optimal geometry for hydrogen storage
Bogdan Kuchta1, Lucyna Firlej, Ali Mohammadhosseini
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA, bogdan.kuchta@univ-amu.fr.
New open carbon frameworks (OCF) show high hydrogen storage capacity. Fragmentation of graphene increases surface area, but adsorption energy decreases, defining physical limits for efficient hydrogen adsorption.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- High-surface-area porous carbons are crucial for gas adsorption applications.
- Understanding hydrogen adsorption limits in these materials is key for developing efficient storage solutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the physical limits of hydrogen adsorption in hypothetical open carbon frameworks (OCF).
- To investigate the interplay between surface area and adsorption energy in nano-sized carbon structures.
Main Methods:
- Analytical modeling of hydrogen adsorption.
- Simulations of adsorption in porous carbon structures.
- Analysis of OCFs constructed from coronene and benzene molecules.
Main Results:
- Fragmentation of graphene sheets into nano-elements increases surface area (>2600 m²/g), enhancing storage capacity.
- Decreasing adsorption energy in nano-sized carbon scaffolds compensates for increased surface area.
- OCFs with surface areas of 6500 m²/g exhibit excess adsorption of 75-110 g H₂/kg C at 77 K.
- High storage capacity of 110-150 g H₂/kg C at 77 K and 100 bar was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Physical limits for hydrogen adsorption in porous carbons are defined by surface area and adsorption energy.
- Novel OCFs demonstrate potential for meeting hydrogen storage requirements in mobile applications.
- Further synthesis and optimization of OCFs could unlock advanced hydrogen storage technologies.
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