Enhancing hydrogen spillover and storage
Methods for enhancing hydrogen spillover and storage are disclosed. One embodiment of the method includes doping a hydrogen receptor with metal particles, and exposing the hydrogen receptor to ultrasonication as doping occurs. Another embodiment of the method includes doping a hydrogen receptor with metal particles, and exposing the doped hydrogen receptor to a plasma treatment.
1. A method for enhancing hydrogen storage, comprising:
doping a hydrogen receptor with metal particles, the hydrogen receptor being selected from carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, molecular sieves, silica gel, zeolites, metal-organic framework materials, and combinations thereof, wherein doping is accomplished by:
forming a dispersion including the hydrogen receptor; and
adding a solution including a source of the metal particles to the dispersion including the hydrogen receptor, thereby forming a mixture;
exposing the hydrogen receptor to ultrasonication as doping occurs;
drying the mixture to form a composition;
subjecting the composition to a first gas flow at a first temperature;
subjecting the composition to a second gas flow at a second temperature, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature; and
cooling the composition.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising drying the hydrogen receptor prior to doping.
3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein subsequent to doping and ultrasonication and prior to drying, the method further comprises magnetically agitating the mixture.
4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the first gas flow is a helium gas flow, and the second gas flow is a hydrogen gas flow.
5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the source of the metal particles is a salt of a transition metal.
6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the metal particles are selected from platinum, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, nickel, copper, iron, and combinations thereof.
7. A method for enhancing hydrogen storage, comprising:
doping a hydrogen receptor with metal particles, thereby forming a doped hydrogen receptor, the hydrogen receptor being selected from carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, molecular sieves, silica gel, zeolites, metal-organic framework materials, and combinations thereof;
exposing the hydrogen receptor to ultrasonication as doping occurs; and
exposing the doped hydrogen receptor to a plasma treatment.
8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the plasma treatment is selected from glow discharge plasma, microwave plasma, plasma spraying, and combinations thereof.
9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein a gas used in the glow discharge plasma is selected from inert gases, hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof.
10. The method as defined in claim 7 , further comprising forming chemical bridges between respective metal particles and a surface of the hydrogen receptor.
11. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the plasma treatment is accomplished for a predetermined time ranging from about 5 minutes to about 60 minutes at a predetermined temperature up to 1000° C.
12. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein doping is accomplished by:
forming a dispersion including the hydrogen receptor; and
adding a solution including a source of the metal particles to the dispersion including the hydrogen receptor, thereby forming a mixture.
13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the source of the metal particles is a salt of a transition metal.
14. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the metal particles are selected from platinum, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, nickel, copper, iron, and combinations thereof.