Energy storage systems are confronted by a paradox: high-energy density materials are, by definition, metastable and able to store and release large amounts of energy. However, technological needs demand robust, reliable systems to store and deliver energy within regimes of temperature and pressure which mitigate safety concerns. In this talk, I focus on solving this dual challenge of storage vs. stability in a prototype system - nanoscale magnesium nanocrystals embedded in a graphene oxide matrix for high density, stable, hydrogen storage for fuel cell systems. I will also highlight recent work on the key role that graphene oxide hetero-interfaces play on material stability and kinetics, demonstrating that miniscule amounts of sub-oxide can paradoxically stabilize and enhance hydrogen storage performance in these hybrid materials. Furthermore, I will present new work on bringing magnesium metal hydride sorption temperatures down to room temperature – previously a realm unimaginable for these systems, by using a hierarchical inside/out doping approach. I will conclude by presenting new work on extending these approaches and concepts to complex, higher storage density magnesium borohydride systems, presenting approaches to phase control and interface reactivity.

Chemical design of competitive hydrogen storage characteristics in nanoscale metal hydrides

255th National Meeting (2018)

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