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Metal organic framework (MOF) materials have emerged as the adsorbent materials with the highest H2 storage densities on both a volumetric and gravimetric basis. While measurements of hydrogen storage at the material level (primarily at 77 K) have been published for hundreds of MOFs, estimates of the system-level hydrogen storage capacity are not readily available. In this study, hydrogen storage capacities are estimated at the system-level for MOFs with the highest demonstrated volumetric and gravimetric H2 storage densities. System estimates are based on a single tank cryo-adsorbent system that utilizes a type-1 tank, multi-layer vacuum insulation, liquid N2 cooling channels, in-tank heat exchanger, and a packed MOF powder inside the tank. It is found that with this powder-based system configuration, MOFs with ultra-high gravimetric surface areas and hydrogen adsorption amounts do not necessarily provide correspondingly high volumetric or gravimetric storage capacities at the system-level. Meanwhile, attributes such as powder packing efficiency and system cool-down temperature are shown to have a large impact on the system capacity. These results should shed light on the material properties that must to be optimized, as well as highlight the important design challenges for cryo-adsorbent hydrogen storage systems.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for hydrogen storage that fail to achieve expected theoretical values of volumetric storage density due to poor powder packing. A strategy that improves packing efficiency and volumetric hydrogen gas storage density dramatically through engineered morphologies and controlled-crystal size distributions is presented that holds promise for maximizing storage capacity for a given MOF. The packing density improvement, demonstrated for the benchmark sorbent MOF-5, leads to a significant enhancement of volumetric hydrogen storage performance relative to commercial MOF-5. System model projections demonstrate that engineering of crystal morphology/size or use of a bimodal distribution of cubic crystal sizes in tandem with system optimization can surpass the 25 g/L volumetric capacity of a typical 700 bar compressed storage system and exceed the DOE targets 2020 volumetric capacity (30 g/L). Finally, a critical link between improved powder packing density and reduced damage upon compaction is revealed leading to sorbents with both high surface area and high density.

Fuel cell vehicles offer significant sustainability benefits by eliminating tailpipe emissions, increasing powertrain efficiency, and utilizing hydrogen that can be supplied from various sources including renewables. A pressure regulator in the hydrogen storage system on a fuel cell vehicle is an important component to ensure that the hydrogen delivery to the fuel cell stack meets the pressure and temperature requirements. A validated model of the regulator can be used to support the product design and optimization of the operating strategy. In this work, a pressure regulator model has been developed to capture the hydrogen discharge behaviors from the compressed hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack. The focus of the model is to develop the pressure and temperature relationship at the regulator outlet given the inlet conditions from the storage tank. Besides the ideal-gas based derivation for pressure response, the model has used a constant-enthalpy approach to capture the hydrogen temperature increase associated with the pressure drop due to the Joule–Thomson effect. The model was validated with various testing data including hysteresis and dynamic flow conditions, showing satisfactory agreement. The validated model was then used for parametric studies. The modeling results concluded that the regulator inlet temperature has the strongest influence on raising the outlet temperature, while the regulator inlet pressure is an important factor although secondary to the inlet temperature. The comprehensive regulator modeling developed in this work provides the foundation for assessing and optimizing a key dynamic component in the hydrogen storage system.

In order to determine a material's hydrogen storage potential, capacity measurements must be robust, reproducible, and accurate. Commonly, research reports focus on the gravimetric capacity, and often times the volumetric capacity is not reported. Determining volumetric capacities is not as straight-forward, especially for amorphous materials. This is the first study to compare measurement reproducibility across laboratories for excess and total volumetric hydrogen sorption capacities based on the packing volume. The use of consistent measurement protocols, common analysis, and figure of merits for reporting data in this study, enable the comparison of the results for two different materials. Importantly, the results show good agreement for excess gravimetric capacities amongst the laboratories. Irreproducibility for excess and total volumetric capacities is attributed to real differences in the measured packing volume of the material.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for the storage of hydrogen fuel due to their high surface areas, tunable properties, and reversible gas adsorption. Although several MOFs are known to exhibit high hydrogen densities on a gravimetric basis, realizing high volumetric capacities – a critical attribute for maximizing the driving range of fuel cell vehicles – remains a challenge. Here, MOFs that achieve high gravimetric and volumetric H2 densities simultaneously are identified computationally, and demonstrated experimentally. The hydrogen capacities of 5309 MOFs drawn from databases of known compounds were predicted using empirical (Chahine rule) correlations and direct atomistic simulations. A critical assessment of correlations between these methods, and with experimental data, identified pseudo-Feynman–Hibbs-based grand canonical Monte Carlo calculations as the most accurate predictive method. Based on these predictions, promising MOF candidates were synthesized and evaluated with respect to their usable H2 capacities. Several MOFs predicted to exhibit high capacities displayed low surface areas upon activation, highlighting the need to understand the factors that control stability. Consistent with the computational predictions, IRMOF-20 was experimentally demonstrated to exhibit an uncommon combination of high usable volumetric and gravimetric capacities. Importantly, the measured capacities exceed those of the benchmark compound MOF-5, the record-holder for combined volumetric/gravimetric performance. Our study illustrates the value of computational screening in pinpointing materials that optimize overall storage performance.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of porous, crystalline materials with potential application as hydrogen storage media in fuel cell vehicles. Unlike lower capacity adsorbents such as zeolites and carbons, some MOFs are expected to degrade due to attack by impurities present in the hydrogen fuel stream. Hydrogen intended for use in fuel cell vehicles should satisfy purity standards, such as those outlined in SAE J2719. This standard limits the concentration of certain species in the fuel stream based primarily on their deleterious effects on PEM fuel cells. However, the impact of these contaminants on MOFs is mostly unknown. In the present study MOF-5 is adopted as a prototypical moisture-sensitive hydrogen storage material. Five “impure” gas mixtures were prepared by introducing low-to-moderate levels (i.e., up to ∼200 times greater than the J2719 limit) of selected contaminants (NH3, H2S, HCl, H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, O2, N2, and He) to pure hydrogen gas. Subsequently, MOF-5 was exposed to these mixtures over hundreds of adsorption/desorption pressure-swing cycles and for extended periods of static exposure. The impact of exposure was assessed by periodically measuring the hydrogen storage capacity of an exposed sample. Hydrogen chloride was observed to be the only impurity that yielded a measurable, albeit small, decrease in hydrogen capacity; no change in H2 uptake was observed for the other impurities. Post-cycling and post-storage MOF-5 samples were also analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. These analyses reveal slight changes in the spectra for those samples exposed to HCl and NH3 compared to the pristine material. These measurements suggest that MOF-5 – and likely many other MOFs – exhibit sufficient robustness to withstand prolonged exposure to ‘off-spec’ hydrogen fuel.

A concept of thermal battery based on advanced metal hydrides was studied for heating and cooling of cabins in electric vehicles. The system utilized a pair of thermodynamically matched metal hydrides as energy storage media. The pair of hydrides that was identified and developed was: (1) catalyzed MgH 2 as the high temperature hydride material, due to its high energy density and enhanced kinetics; and (2) TiV 0.62 Mn 1.5 alloy as the matching low temperature hydride. Further, a proof-of-concept prototype was built and tested, demonstrating the potential of the system as HVAC for transportation vehicles.

Capacity fade is reported for 1.5 Ah Li-ion batteries containing a mixture of Li–Ni–Co–Mn oxide (NCM) + Li–Mn oxide spinel (LMO) as positive electrode material and a graphite negative electrode. The batteries were cycled at a wide range of temperatures (10 °C–46 °C) and discharge currents (0.5C–6.5C). The measured capacity losses were fit to a simple physics-based model which calculates lithium inventory loss from two related mechanisms: (1) mechanical degradation at the graphite anode particle surface caused by diffusion-induced stresses (DIS) and (2) chemical degradation caused by lithium loss to continued growth of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). These two mechanisms are coupled because lithium is consumed through SEI formation on newly exposed crack surfaces. The growth of crack surface area is modeled as a fatigue phenomenon due to the cyclic stresses generated by repeated lithium insertion and de-insertion of graphite particles. This coupled chemical–mechanical degradation model is consistent with the observed capacity loss features for the NCM + LMO/graphite cells.

We examine the aging and degradation of graphite/composite metal oxide cells. Non-destructive electrochemical methods were used to monitor the capacity loss, voltage drop, resistance increase, lithium loss, and active material loss during the life testing. The cycle life results indicated that the capacity loss was strongly impacted by the rate, temperature, and depth of discharge (DOD). Lithium loss and active electrode material loss were studied by the differential voltage method; we find that lithium loss outpaces active material loss. A semi-empirical life model was established to account for both calendar-life loss and cycle-life loss. For the calendar-life equation, we adopt a square root of time relation to account for the diffusion limited capacity loss, and an Arrhenius correlation is used to capture the influence of temperature. For the cycle life, the dependence on rate is exponential while that for time (or charge throughput) is linear.

We present a comprehensive assessment of the thermophysical properties of an industrial, pilot-scale version of the prototype adsorbent, metal–organic framework 5 (MOF-5). These properties are essential ingredients in the design and modeling of MOF-5-based hydrogen adsorption systems, and may serve as a useful starting point for the development of other MOF-based systems for applications in catalysis, gas separations, and adsorption of other gasses or fluids. Characterized properties include: packing density, surface area, pore volume, particle size distribution, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, stability against hydrolysis, differential enthalpy of H2 adsorption, and Dubinin–Astakhov isotherm parameters. Hydrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms were measured at six temperatures spanning the range 77–295 K, and at pressures of 0–100 bar.

The metal-organic framework Zn4O (BDC)3 (BDC = 1,4-bezene dicarboxlate), also known as MOF-5, has demonstrated considerable adsorption of hydrogen, up to 7 excess wt.% at 77 K. Consequently, it has attracted significant attention for vehicular hydrogen storage applications. To improve the volumetric hydrogen density and thermal conductivity of MOF-5, prior studies have examined the hydrogen storage capacities of dense MOF-5 pellets and the impact of thermally conductive additives such as expanded natural graphite (ENG). However, the performance of a storage system based on densified MOF-5 powders will also hinge upon the rate of hydrogen mass transport through the storage medium. In this study, we further characterize MOF-5 compacts by measuring their hydrogen transport properties as a function of pellet density (ρ = 0.3–0.5 g cm−3) and the presence/absence of ENG additions. More specifically, the Darcy permeability and diffusivity of hydrogen in pellets of neat MOF-5, and composite pellets consisting of MOF-5 with 5 and 10 wt.% ENG additions, have been measured at ambient (296 K) and liquid nitrogen (77 K) temperatures. The experimental data suggest that the H2 transport in densified MOF-5 is strongly related to the MOF-5 pellet density ρ.

We have seen how hydrogen atoms can be bound within the interstitial sites of intermetallic metal hydrides (Chapter 5) and in the covalent chemical bonds of complex metal hydrides (Chapter 6). Here, we discuss the phenomenon whereby hydrogen gas is introduced in molecular form, adsorbs onto a surface as a molecule, and is desorbed as a molecule. The generally low activation energy associated with this phenomenon results in a conceptually and technologically simple means for storage that is not limited by cycle life, as the adsorbed molecule and the adsorbent remain relatively unchanged during the adsorption/ desorption cycle. This weak interaction, however, results in the requirement of low temperatures if reasonably large uptake values are to be expected. In adsorption, gas molecules can generally be found in greater concentration at thesurface of a substrate than in the free gas volume as determined by real (vs. ideal) gas law behavior. This physical adsorption (or physisorption) can provide the rationale for the use of adsorbents for hydrogen storage systems, provided that the so-called surfaceCONTENTSIntroduction 213 Definitions 214 The Need to Consider Sorbents 215 Heats of Adsorption 215 Absolute Uptake and the Langmuir Model 217 The Gibbs Surface Excess 220 The Mechanism of Physisorption 222 Electrostatic Interactions 222 Orbital Interactions 222 Size of Molecular Hydrogen 223 Adsorbents 223

Porous adsorbents such as MOF-5 have low thermal conductivities which can limit the performance of adsorption-based hydrogen storage systems. To improve the thermal properties of these materials, we have prepared a series of high-density MOF-5 composites containing 0–10 wt % expanded natural graphite (ENG), which serves as a thermal conduction enhancer. The addition of 10 wt % ENG to MOF-5 and compaction to 0.5 g/cm3 was previously found to increase the thermal conductivity relative to neat MOF-5 of the same density by a factor of 5. In this study, detailed measurements of the hydrogen storage behavior of MOF-5/ENG composites between 77 and 295 K are reported. We find that MOF-5 pellets with 0 wt % ENG and a density of 0.5 g/cm3 have a total volumetric hydrogen storage density at 77 K and 100 bar that is 23% larger than powder MOF-5 and 41% larger than cryo-compressed hydrogen. The addition of 10% ENG to 0.5 g/cm3 MOF-5 pellets produces only a small decrease (6%) in the total volumetric hydrogen storage c...

The low thermal conductivity of the prototype hydrogen storage adsorbent, metal-organic framework 5 (MOF-5), can limit performance in applications requiring rapid gas uptake and release, such as in hydrogen storage for fuel cell vehicles. As a means to improve thermal conductivity, we have synthesized MOF-5-based composites containing 1–10 wt.% of expanded natural graphite (ENG) and evaluated their properties. Cylindrical pellets of neat MOF-5 and MOF-5/ENG composites with densities of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 g/cm3 are prepared and assessed with regard to thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, surface area, and crystallinity. For pellets of density ∼0.5 g/cm3, we find that ENG additions of 10 wt.% result in a factor of five improvement in thermal conductivity relative to neat MOF-5, increasing from 0.10 to 0.56 W/mK at room temperature. Based on the relatively higher densities, surface areas, and enhanced crystallinity exhibited by the composites, ENG additions appear to partially protect MOF-5 crystallites from plastic deformation and/or amorphization during mechanical compaction; this suggests that thermal conductivity can be improved while maintaining the favorable hydrogen storage properties of this material.

The hydrogen storage reaction ScH_2 + 2LiBH_4 → ScB_2 + 2LiH + 4H_2 (8.91 wt %), based on the thermodynamic destabilization of LiBH_4, is predicted to have a reaction enthalpy of ΔH_(300K) = 34.1 kJ/mol H_2. The isothermal kinetic desorption behavior in this system was measured. At temperatures up to 450 °C, less than 5 wt % H_2 is released, which is only half of the theoretical capacity. Powder X-ray diffraction data indicate that LiBH_4 has decomposed into LiH in the final desorption product, but the data provide no evidence that ScH_2 has participated in the reaction. Magic angle spinning NMR (MAS NMR) results do not show that the expected ScB_2 equilibrium product phase has formed during desorption. While the addition of 2 mol % TiCl_3 catalyst does improve desorption kinetics at 280 °C, it does not otherwise assist the destabilization reaction. The calculated reaction enthalpy suggests that this system should be of interest at moderate temperatures, but the large heats of formation of the reactant phases in this system appear to play a critical role in determining overall kinetics. Furthermore, the formation of a Li_2B_(12)H_(12) intermediate phase was determined by MAS NMR, which is an undesirable stable product if reaction reversibility is to be accomplished.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of microporous, crystalline materials with potential applications in the capture, storage, and separation of gases. Of the many known MOFs, MOF-5 has attracted considerable attention because of its ability to store gaseous fuels at low pressure with high densities. Nevertheless, MOF-5 and several other MOFs exhibit limited stability upon exposure to reactive species such as water. The present study quantifies the impact of humid air exposure on the properties of MOF-5 as a function of exposure time, humidity level, and morphology (i.e., powders vs pellets). Properties examined include hydrogen storage capacity, surface area, and crystallinity. Water adsorption/desorption isotherms are measured using a gravimetric technique; the first uptake exhibits a type V isotherm with a sudden increase in uptake at ∼50% relative humidity. For humidity levels below this threshold only minor degradation is observed for exposure times up to several hours, suggesting that MOF-5 is more stable than generally assumed under moderately humid conditions. In contrast, irreversible degradation occurs in a matter of minutes for exposures above the 50% threshold. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that molecular and/or dissociated water is inserted into the skeletal framework after long exposure times. Densification into pellets can slow the degradation of MOF-5 significantly, and may present a pathway to enhance the stability of some MOFs.

The graphite intercalation compound KC(24) adsorbs hydrogen gas at low temperatures up to a maximum stoichiometry of KC(24)(H(2))(2), with a differential enthalpy of adsorption of approximately -9 kJ mol(-1). The hydrogen molecules and potassium atoms form a two-dimensional condensed phase between the graphite layers. Steric barriers and strong adsorption potentials are expected to strongly hinder hydrogen diffusion within the host KC(24) structure. In this study, self-diffusion in a KC(24)(H(2))(0.5) sample is measured experimentally by quasielastic neutron scattering and compared to values from molecular dynamics simulations. Self-diffusion coefficients are determined by fits of the experimental spectra to a honeycomb net diffusion model and found to agree well with the simulated values. The experimental H(2) diffusion coefficients in KC(24) vary from 3.6 × 10(-9) m(2) s(-1) at 80 K to 8.5 × 10(-9) m(2) s(-1) at 110 K. The measured diffusivities are roughly an order of magnitude lower that those observed on carbon adsorbents, but compare well with the rate of hydrogen self-diffusion in molecular sieve zeolites.

Hydrogen uptake was measured for platinum doped superactivated carbon at 296 K where hydrogen spillover was expected to occur. High pressure adsorption measurements using a Sieverts apparatus did not show an increase in gravimetric storage capacity over the unmodified superactivated carbon. Measurements of small samples (~0.2 g) over long equilibration times, consistent with the reported procedure, showed significant scatter and were not well above instrument background. In larger samples (~3 g), the hydrogen uptake was significantly above background but did not show enhancement due to spillover; total uptake scaled with the available surface area of the superactivated carbon. Any hydrogen spillover sorption was thus below the detection limit of standard volumetric gas adsorption measurements. Due to the additional mass of the catalyst nanoparticles and decreased surface area in the platinum doped system, the net effect of spillover sorption is detrimental for gravimetric density of hydrogen.

Pore size distributions (PSD) and supercritical H_2 isotherms have been measured for two activated carbon fiber (ACF) samples. The surface area and the PSD both depend on the degree of activation to which the ACF has been exposed. The low-surface-area ACF has a narrow PSD centered at 0.5 nm, while the high-surface-area ACF has a broad distribution of pore widths between 0.5 and 2 nm. The H_2 adsorption enthalpy in the zero-coverage limit depends on the relative abundance of the smallest pores relative to the larger pores. Measurements of the H_2 isosteric adsorption enthalpy indicate the presence of energy heterogeneity in both ACF samples. Additional measurements on a microporous, coconut-derived activated carbon are presented for reference.

Volumetric adsorption and quasielastic neutron scattering are used to study the diffusion and thermodynamics of sorbed H_2 in the graphite intercalation compound KC24. A sorption enthalpy of 8.5 kJ/mol at zero coverage is determined from H_2 adsorption isotherms. From measurements of total elastic-neutron-scattering intensity as a function of temperature, a melting transition of the H_2 adsorbate is observed at 35 K for KC_(24)(H_2)_1. Quasielastic-neutron-scattering (QENS) spectra reveal distinct slow- and fast-H_2-diffusion processes which exist simultaneously at temperatures above the transition point. The temperature dependence of the characteristic diffusion times follows an Arrhenius relation tau=tau_0 exp(E_a/T), where tau_0^(fast)=1.0±0.1 ps, tau_0^(slow)=21±2 ps, E_a^(fast)=156±5 K, and E_a^(slow)=189±5 K. The fast-diffusion process is attributable to individual motions of H_2 molecules in a static potassium structure, and the slow-diffusion process could be attributable to fluctuations in H_2 particle density correlated with jumps of potassium atoms. The QENS spectra at low Q are used to discuss the dimensionality of the diffusion process.