Inelastic neutron scattering of H2 adsorbed in HKUST-1

A series of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) investigations of hydrogen adsorbed in activated HKUST-1 (Cu3(1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate)2) result in INS spectra with rich features, even at very low loading (<1.0 H2:Cu). The distinct inelastic features in the spectra show that there are three binding sites that are progressively populated when the H2 loading is less than 2.0 H2:Cu, which is consistent with the result obtained from previous neutron powder diffraction experiments. The temperature dependence of the INS spectra reveals the relative binding enthalpies for H2 at each site.