Efficient Chemical Storage of Hydrogen in a Liquid

ABSTRACT: This Proposal is on development of chemistry of mixtures of methylphenanthrenes (I) as a media for hydrogen storage. Previous research, performed in Phase I, have established the routes by which such mixtures can be generated. Their hydrogenation over Ru catalyst has been shown to result in perhydro derivatives (II). An analysis based on measured properties of those hydrogenated mixtures demonstrated that they satisfied the DOE 2010 requirements for the hydrogen storage material due to their high hydrogen content and other properties such as low melting points, high boiling points, non-flammability, and low toxicity. The purely chemical part of the Phase II will concentrate on such aspects as 1) Search for an inexpensive source of I; 2) Study on transformation of the alkanes II back into I with concominant hydrogen evolution; 3) Study of an aerial oxidation of the I into methylphenanthrenequinones III and utilization of the released heat to drive the dehydrogenation process II & #8594;I; 4) Hydrogenation of III into II that will recycle the hydrogen storage media. An engineering part will concentrate on building up a series of prototype devices of increasing complexity that will evolve hydrogen from II. The simplest reactors will use an outside source of heat (like heating mantle) to drive the endothermic dehydrogenation process; more advanced devices will utilize the heat from the oxidation process I & #8594;III to drive the dehydrogenation reaction. An ideal reactor will combine dehydrogenation and oxidation steps performed in different compartments for the continuous generation of hydrogen. BENEFIT: If sucesfull this hydrogen storage technology could revolutionize the battlefield as well as civilian infrastructure transitioning to a hydrogen economy. This Phase II program will demonstrate a viable liquid chemical storage of hydrogen that can use existing liquid fuel infrastructure to achieve greater than 5% hydrogen by weight system capability for existing and future hydrogen fuel cell applications. Ideally this technology could eliminate petroleum based combustion fuels from use in the field.