Dense storage of hydrogen and other gases in fast fabricated, hierarchically structured nanocapillary arrays through adsorption and compression by electrochemical and other means

摘要

A novel high-density hydrogen and other gas storage material has been fabricated and enhanced to provide the opportunity to use hydrogen as a predominant energy source by using hierarchical and ordered nanoporous materials to provide a solution to the shortcomings of current storage technologies. These materials consist of high aspect ratio porous templates with aligned and periodic nanocapillaries that have a tunable density, diameter, and wall thickness. Not only is the disclosed process low-cost and scalable, but catalytic fabrication of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within the nanocapillaries is achieved, thereby yielding coaxial nanocapillary arrays for physical and adsorbed hydrogen storage with ultra-high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen storage densities.

主权项

1. A gas storage device, comprising a support on which ordered pores are formable, a template comprised of at least one high-density, high-aspect ratio nanocapillary array with one end thereof on the support, with the array having aligned, individual nanocapillaries formed in a preselected and coaxial pattern and another end thereof selectively sealable and unsealable, and a coating formed on walls of the nanocapillaries and selected from a material such that the nanocapillaries are structurally reinforced.