WSURF Case 789 H2
Nanosprings for Hydrogen Storage
Summary
The major challenge in achieving the hydrogen economy is the difficulty associated with storing hydrogen in sufficient quantities for transportation applications. At an air pressure of 1 atmosphere, a hydrogen concentration as low as 4 vol% is easily ignited. Consequently, high pressure storage of hydrogen for consumer applications is impractical from the standpoint of safety. The alternatives to high-pressure storage of H2 are cryogenic liquification and combining with metals in the form of metal hydrides. Liquidification of hydrogen clearly has advantages over high-pressure storage, such as a higher energy density and the ability to operate at atmospheric pressure. However, the energy loss associated with liquification and prolonged cryogenic cooling can be as high as 40%. Some light metals, such as magnesium and lithium, posses the unique ability to react with hydrogen to produce metal hydrides, which can release high purity hydrogen, similar to water in a sponge. The total absorbed hydrogen is generally 1% - 2% in gravimetric density (ratio of adsorbed H2 mass to the total mass), although in some cases storage densities as high as 5 - 7% have been reported. The disadvantage of metal hydrides is the high temperatures (~300 °C) needed to achieve sufficient rates of hydrogen released.
WSU in collaboration the UI have developed cheap, scalable and repeatable methods to produce a high surface area material that demonstrated a multilayered non-diassociative hydrogen adsorption. This enables a storage capacity in excess of 6%. Significantly the interaction with hydrogen is reversible with a modest temperature range.
Applications & Advantages
- Multilayered non-disassociative hydrogen adsorption
- >6% w/w adsorption
- Reversible adsorption Temperatures between -50 & 100C
- Material synthesis is; inexpensive, scalable, 100% reproducible
IP Status
The technology is protected by a PCT application, a second US provisionalapplication and is available for exclusive worldwide licensing.
For more information about this technology please contact WSURF:
1610 NE Eastgate Blvd, Suite 650
Pullman, WA 99164
Phone: (509) 335-5526
Fax: (509) 335-7237
wsurf@wsu.edu
