Improving the hydrogen storage devices for e-mobility

R&D Focus Areas:
Adsorbents, Mobility

Lead Organisation:
Swinburne University of Technology

Funding:
Future Energy Exports CRC

Status:
Active

Start date:
April 2022

Project summary description:
Hydrogen as a renewable energy has several advantages, including protecting the environment, zero air and noise   pollutions.   There are some difficulties and challenges though in hydrogen technology in its storage and transportation. Hydrogen can be stored in three ways: compressed gas, cryogenic liquid and as solid-state Hydrogen storage. Storing hydrogen as a compressed gas has some major disadvantages as it can be inflammable. The challenges of liquid hydrogen storage at a cryogenic temperature of 20k are evaporation and the fuel loss that has been a drawback for this method. Previous research demonstrated that storing the hydrogen as solid form is more efficient as higher quantity of fuel cells can be stored in less volume at room temperature. This makes the storage and transportation of the hydrogen safer, eco-friendlier   and cost effective.

Solid storage   can   be   implemented   in   two   ways: physisorption (adsorption) and chemisorption (absorption). Adsorption has advantages as it requires less energy to process a molecule and has a higher capacity to store molecules. Graphene is known for its high reversibility, lightweight, and high density compared to metal alloys. Hydrogen interaction with graphene has the advantage of high capacity and stability, which can make graphene the next promising candidate for the solution of hydrogen storage.

This project aims to develop advanced hydrogen storage devices using graphene-based hybrid materials for the practical use of mobility and become economically reliable to convert the transport system to a fully electric one.

Further information:
PhD Thesis (22.RP2.0133), contact Future Energy Exports CRC for further information.

 

Reviewed: August 2023