Andreas Züttel

Hydrogen-storage materials for mobile applications

Mobility — the transport of people and goods — is a socioeconomic reality that will surely increase in the coming years. It should be safe, economic and reasonably clean. Little energy needs to be expended to overcome potential energy changes, but a great deal is lost through friction (for cars about 10 kWh per 100 km) and low-efficiency energy conversion. Vehicles can be run either by connecting them to a continuous supply of energy or by storing energy on board. Hydrogen would be ideal as a synthetic fuel because it is lightweight, highly abundant and its oxidation product (water) is environmentally benign, but storage remains a problem. Here we present recent developments in the search for innovative materials with high hydrogen-storage capacity.

Materials for hydrogen storage

Abstract Hydrogen storage is a materials science challenge because, for all six storage methods currently being investigated, materials with either a strong interaction with hydrogen or without any reaction are needed. Besides conventional storage methods, i.e. high pressure gas cylinders and liquid hydrogen, the physisorption of hydrogen on materials with a high specific surface area, hydrogen intercalation in metals and complex hydrides, and storage of hydrogen based on metals and water are reviewed. The goal is to pack hydrogen as close as possible, i.e. to reach the highest volumetric density by using as little additional material as possible. Hydrogen storage implies the reduction of an enormous volume of hydrogen gas. At ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, 1 kg of the gas has a volume of 11 m3. To increase hydrogen density, work must either be applied to compress the gas, the temperature decreased below the critical temperature, or the repulsion reduced by the interaction of hydrogen with another material.

Hydrogen storage in carbon nanostructures

Abstract Carbon nanotubes have been known for more than 10 years. It is a challenge to fill their unique tubular structure with metals and gases. Especially, the absorption of hydrogen in single wall nanotubes has attracted many research groups worldwide. The values published for the quantity of hydrogen absorbed in nanostructured carbon materials varies between 0.4 and 67 mass%. With the assumption that the hydrogen condenses in the cavity of the nanotube or forms an adsorbed monolayer of hydrogen at the surface of the tube, the potential of nanotubes as a host material for hydrogen storage can be estimated. The hydrogen storage density due to condensed hydrogen in the cavity of the tube depends linearly on the tube diameter and starts at 1.5 mass% for a 0.671 nm single wall carbon nanotube. The surface adsorption of a monolayer of hydrogen leads to a maximum storage capacity of 3.3 mass%. We have investigated a large number of nanostructured carbon samples, i.e. high surface area graphite, single wall and multiwall nanotubes, by means of volumetric gas adsorption, galvanostatic charge/discharge experiments and temperature programmed desorption spectroscopy. The reversible hydrogen capacity of the carbon samples measured in an electrochemical half-cell at room temperature correlates with the specific surface area (BET) of the sample and is 1.5 mass% /1000 m 2 / g .

Hydrogen as a future energy carrier

INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF HYDROGEN Timeline of the History of Hydrogen The Hindenburg and Challenger Disasters HYDROGEN AS A FUEL Fossil Fuels The Carbon Cycle and Biomass Energy The Hydrogen Cycle PROPERTIES OF HYDROGEN Hydrogen Gas Interaction of Hydrogen with Solid Surfaces Catalysis of Hydrogen Dissociation and Recombination The Four States of Hydrogen and their Characteristics and Properties Surface Engineering of Hydrides HYDROGEN PRODUCTION Hydrogen Production from Coal and Hydrocarbons Electrolysis: Hydrogen Production from Electricity HYDROGEN STORAGE Hydrogen Storage in Molecular Form Hydrogen Adsorption (Carbon, Zeolites, Nanocubes) Metal Hydrides Complex Transition Metal Hydrides Tetrahydroborates as a Non-transition Metal Hydrides Complex Hydrides Storage in Organic Hydrides Indirect Hydrogen Storage via Metals and Complexes Using Exhaust Water HYDROGEN FUNCTIONALIZED MATERIALS Magnetic Heterostructures: A Playground for Hydrogen Optical Properties of Metal-Hydrides: Switchable Mirrors APPLICATIONS Fuel Cells using Hydrogen Borohydride Fuel Cells Internal Combustion Engine Space Applications with Hydrogen

Investigation of electrochemical double-layer (ECDL) capacitors electrodes based on carbon nanotubes and activated carbon materials

The carbon nanotubes (CNT) show promising electrochemical characteristics particularly for electrochemical energy storage. The electrochemical double-layer (ECDL) capacitor is a new type of capacitor with features intermediate between those of a battery and a conventional capacitor. ECDL capacitors have been made using various types of CNT and activated carbon (a-C) as electrode material. The specific capacitance per surface area of the electrodes depends on the thickness and the specific surface area of the active material. The CNT electrodes show a specific capacitance from 0.8 and 280 mF cm −2 and 8t o 16 Fc m −3 , respectively. Increasing the mass density also helps to increase the capacitance. Commercially available activated carbon (a-C) electrodes were also tested in order to study their specific capacitance as a function of their physical properties. The various a-C electrodes have specific capacitance per surface area ranging from 0.4 to 3.1 F cm −2 and an average specific capacitance per volume of 40 F cm −3 due to their larger mass density.

Hydrogen in the mechanically prepared nanostructured graphite

Nanostructured graphite was prepared by mechanical milling under hydrogen atmosphere. Several samples obtained after different milling times were systematically examined to get fundamental information about the structures and hydrogen concentrations. After the expansion of the graphite interlayer, the long-range ordering of the interlayer disappears continuously with increasing milling time. The hydrogen concentration reaches up to 7.4 mass % (CH0.95) after milling for 80 h. Judging from the radial distribution function determined by the neutron diffraction measurement, there are two types of deuterium coordinations: deuterium atoms in the graphite interlayers and that with the CDx covalent bonds, respectively.Nanostructured graphite was prepared by mechanical milling under hydrogen atmosphere. Several samples obtained after different milling times were systematically examined to get fundamental information about the structures and hydrogen concentrations. After the expansion of the graphite interlayer, the long-range ordering of the interlayer disappears continuously with increasing milling time. The hydrogen concentration reaches up to 7.4 mass % (CH0.95) after milling for 80 h. Judging from the radial distribution function determined by the neutron diffraction measurement, there are two types of deuterium coordinations: deuterium atoms in the graphite interlayers and that with the CDx covalent bonds, respectively.

Electrochemical Storage of Hydrogen in Nanotube Materials

Note: Times Cited: 215 Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-206013View record in Web of Science URL: ://WOS:000079697000011 Record created on 2015-03-03, modified on 2017-05-12

Hydrogen: the future energy carrier

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century the limitations of the fossil age with regard to the continuing growth of energy demand, the peaking mining rate of oil, the growing impact of CO2 emissions on the environment and the dependency of the economy in the industrialized world on the availability of fossil fuels became very obvious. A major change in the energy economy from fossil energy carriers to renewable energy fluxes is necessary. The main challenge is to efficiently convert renewable energy into electricity and the storage of electricity or the production of a synthetic fuel. Hydrogen is produced from water by electricity through an electrolyser. The storage of hydrogen in its molecular or atomic form is a materials challenge. Some hydrides are known to exhibit a hydrogen density comparable to oil; however, these hydrides require a sophisticated storage system. The system energy density is significantly smaller than the energy density of fossil fuels. An interesting alternative to the direct storage of hydrogen are synthetic hydrocarbons produced from hydrogen and CO2 extracted from the atmosphere. They are CO2 neutral and stored like fossil fuels. Conventional combustion engines and turbines can be used in order to convert the stored energy into work and heat.

Experimental studies on intermediate compound of LiBH4

The formation condition of an intermediate compound of LiBH4 during the partial dehydriding reaction and its local atomistic structure have been experimentally investigated. LiBH4 changes into an intermediate compound accompanying the release of approximately 11mass% of hydrogen at 700–730K. The Raman spectra indicate that the B–H bending and stretching modes of the compound appear at lower and higher frequencies, respectively, as compared to those of LiBH4. These features are consistent with the theoretical calculation on the monoclinic Li2B12H12, consisting of Li+ and [B12H12]2− ions, as a possible intermediate compound of LiBH4.

The influence of cobalt on the electrochemical cycling stability of LaNi5-based hydride forming alloys

We present an investigation of the influence of cobalt substitution for nickel on the electrochemical cycle life of LaNi5-based alloys. Lattice expansion during hydriding was measured by means of X-ray diffraction for the alloys LaNi4Co, LaNi3.5CoAl0.5 and LaNi4.5Al0.5. The surface composition of the alloy grains was analysed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS-depth-profiles are mentioned in this paper. The mechanical and electrochemical properties of these alloys and additionally of Zr0.2,La0.8Ni4.5Al0.5 and Er0.2, La0.8Ni4.5Al0.5 were also measured. We observed a strong correlation between the hardness of these alloys and the cycling stability. Harder alloys lose capacity more rapidly with cycling. Cobalt appears to lower the hardness and therefore increase the cycle life of these alloys. It is well known that alloys which show a large lattice expansion during hydriding, pulverize faster with cycling. This behaviour was clearly observed in our measurements. The combination of a minimal lattice expansion and a low hardness seem to have a synergetic effect in increasing the cycle life.