Hydrogen adsorption by perforated graphene

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy 2015-06, Vol.40 (20), p.6594-6599
• Main Authors: Baburin, Igor A., Klechikov, Alexey, Mercier, Guillaume, Talyzin, Alexandr, Seifert, Gotthard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Graphene-based nanostructures; High surface area; Hydrogen storage; Porous materials
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.03.139

We performed a combined theoretical and experimental study of hydrogen adsorption in graphene systems with defect-induced additional porosity. It is demonstrated that perforation of graphene sheets results in increase of theoretically possible surface areas beyond the limits of ideal defect-free graphene (∼2700 m2/g) with the values approaching ∼5000 m2/g. This in turn implies promising hydrogen storage capacities up to 6.5 wt% at 77 K, estimated from classical Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. Hydrogen sorption was studied for the samples of defected graphene with surface area of ∼2900 m2/g prepared using exfoliation of graphite oxide followed by KOH activation. The BET surface area of studied samples thus exceeded the value of single-layered graphene. Hydrogen uptake measured at 77 K and 296 K amounts to 5.5 wt% (30 bar) and to 0.89 wt% (120 bar), respectively. [Display omitted] •Models of perforated graphene with surface areas up to 5000 m2/g were proposed.•Hydrogen uptake for model structures was calculated to be at most 6.5 wt% at 77 K.•The samples of perforated graphene with surface area of 2900 m2/g were synthesized.•Hydrogen uptake of perforated graphene was measured to be 5.5 wt% (77 K) and 0.89 wt% (296 K).