On the Solid Hydrogen Intercalation in Multilayer Carbohydride-Like Graphane Nanostructures, Relevance to the Storage Applications

In this analytical review, some thermodynamic, physical and nanotechnological aspects of the graphene/graphane problem are considered (in a correlation), relevance to developing a much simpler and efficient method (in comparison with the megabar compression dynamic and static ones) of producing a high-density solid molecular hydrogen carrier. It is achieved by the hydrogen intercalation (at the cost of the hydrogen association energy) in closed multigraphane (carbohydride-like) nanostructures of the megabar strength properties. The limiting density value (0.7±0.2 g/cm3(H2)) of such intercalated high-purity reversible hydrogen carrier corresponds to a megabar compression. The “volumetric” hydrogen capacity is of 0.3±0.1 g/cm3(system), and the “gravimetric” one being ≥ 15 wt %( H2). Such a hydrogen storage nanotechnology can exceed and/or correspond to the known U.S. DOE requirements-targets on the hydrogen on-board storage for 2015 (www.eere.energy.gov /hydrogenandfuelcells), with respect to the hydrogen capacities (0.081 g/cm3(system), 9.0 wt %( H2)), safety, reversibility and purity.