Investigation of graphene oxide-hydrogen interaction using in-situ X-ray diffraction studies

Hydrogen is one of the alternatives as clean fuel for our growing demands for energy. However, its storage for practical applications is a challenge due to low energy density. The interaction mechanism between the hydrogen gas and the host involved plays a vital role to explore its potential application as hydrogen storage material. So, in the present work, we have studied the interaction of Graphene oxide with hydrogen gas at different pressures varying from 70 mbar to 900 mbar at room temperature using reliable in-situ X-ray diffraction technique. XRD patterns showed that the hydrogen gas induced strain up to ∼6.3% in GO films for 1% and 10% hydrogen atmosphere. The interaction mechanism was studied qualitatively using Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. Elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) technique was employed to determine the concentration of hydrogen in GO film which increased from ∼1.7 × 1022 atoms/cc (for pristine GO) to ∼ 9.5 × 1022 atoms/cc after exposing to 100% hydrogen environment at 900 mbar pressure.