Mechanism of enhanced hydrogen adsorption on palladium-doped nanoporous carbon fibers

Abstract

Recent work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was directed towards adsorptive storage of hydrogen in nanoporous carbon fibers in which palladium was incorporated prior to spinning and carbonization/activation of the fibers. Palladium doped carbon fibers exhibited enhanced hydrogen uptake compared to the corresponding palladium-free nanoporous carbon fibers (at room temperature and 2 MPa pressure). However, the mechanism responsible for the enhanced hydrogen uptake is not fully understood. New findings are presented in this paper in support of a mechanism that encompasses both hydrogen spillover on palladium metal sites and hydrogen physisorption on nanostructured carbon sites.