High Density Hydrogen Storage with Nano-Material Hybrids

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen powered fuel cells are promising next generation power source technologies for automobiles and many other portable and mobile electronics. However, application of the technology is greatly hindered by current hydrogen storage technology due to low storage capacity and unsatisfactory safety performance. TH Chem, Inc. (THC) proposes to team with Professor R. T. Paine of the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Professor D. Hirschfeld of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT) to develop a nanoporous, spherical boron nitride (BN) based nanocomposite for high capacity, safe hydrogen storage to meet the need for high performance hydrogen storage materials. In the Phase I effort, the proposed BN-based nanocomposites will be prepared via a low-cost synthetic approach and structurally characterized. The performance of the hydrogen storage material will be evaluated in term of hydrogen storage capacity, operation temperature, operation kinetics, and storage reversibility. The proposed nanocomposite hydrogen storage technology has great potential to realize the commercialization of hydrogen-powered fuel cells that have great commercial applications in automobiles, and other mobile and portable consumer electronics. The project team has extensive experience in nanomaterials preparation and characterization. BENEFIT: The proposed nanocomposite hydrogen storage technology has great potential to realize the commercialization of hydrogen-powered fuel cells that have great commercial applications in automobiles, and other mobile and portable consumer electronics. The technology will also find application at any DOD installation in the United States and abroad which have fleet vehicles and air/ground support equipment.