MCM-41 which is a silica based mesoporous material with high surface area and an ordered hexagonal array of cylindrical large pores, is considered as a good candidate for hydrogen storage. Hydrogen sorption properties of MCM-41 can be improved by doping transition metals to the structure. In this study, Pd was loaded to MCM-41 as it is known with its affinity to hydrogen. The effect of loading different amounts of Pd on the hydrogen storage capacity of MCM-41 was investigated. MCM-41 was produced by microwave heating and the metal salts deposited were loaded to the system before calcination. The morphology and structure of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The functional groups on the MCM-41 surface were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal stability of synthesized MCM-41 was examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and it was seen that MCM-41s are hydrothermally stable. The surface area, pore size and adsorption capacity of MCM-41 were measured by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The samples had large surface area around 1100 m2/g and roughly 1.1-1.3 nm pore size. XRD and N2 sorption analyses showed that the resultant materials have uniform pore structure with hexagonal well-ordered arrangement. The hydrogen adsorption capacity measurements were achieved by the Intelligent Gravimetric Analyzer at room temperature and up to 10 bar pressure showed that the hydrogen storage capacity of MCM-41 is strongly affected by metal doping.

Effect of Pd loading on hydrogen storage capacity of MCM-41

247th National Meeting (2014)

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