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Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a low-cost (<$4 /kg), high capacity (>4.5 wt%) hydrogen storage medium using easily manufactured, structured carbon materials.
Hydrogen fuel is very attractive because it can be easily generated from renewable sources, it has high energy density, and hydrogen combustion does not produce harmful emissions. Hydrogen storage and transportation are key challenges to widespread adoption. Hydrogen is conventionally stored as a compressed gas or in a cryogenic liquid state, which involves very high pressures and/or low temperature to store sufficient quantities. Storing hydrogen in this manner is expensive, inefficient, and unsafe for mobile applications.
The goal of PSI’s project is to create low-cost materials with high hydrogen sorption capacity to increase hydrogen storage density at reduced pressure. This novel material achieves high hydrogen loading by combining advanced carbon supports, with activating functionalization that promotes hydrogen affinity through spillover. Manufacturing is achieved through simple and scalable processing steps using abundant, low-cost precursor materials. The material will be leveraged into a hydrogen storage system with tunable operating conditions and form factor.
In this SBIR program, PSI will optimize the material production process to maximize the hydrogen uptake performance while using scalable synthesis processes and low-cost material precursors. PSI will perform an initial cost study based on the developed process to support the commercialization potential. Beyond this project, PSI is collaborating with businesses in the hydrogen energy market, to integrate and evaluate the novel material in a commercially viable hydrogen storage system.
For more information contact:
Dr. David P. Gamliel
Group Leader, Materials Integration & Engineering
dgamliel@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Office: (978) 689-0003
Acknowledgement of Sponsorship: This work is supported under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.