Advanced activated carbon monoliths and activated carbons for hydrogen storage

Results of hydrogen storage are presented for advanced activated carbon monoliths (ACM) and activated carbons (AC). It is shown that materials having both, high micropore volume and high packing density, are required to reach a high hydrogen adsorption capacity in volumetric basis. Advanced activated carbon monoliths (ACM) with good mechanical properties (maximum compression strength of 22 MPa), high micropore volume (up to 1.04 cm3/g) and high density (up to 0.7 g cm−3) have been prepared by optimizing the preparation conditions, reaching a hydrogen adsorption capacity of 29.7 g H2/l at 77 K and 4 MPa for the best ACM. The total storage capacity of a 1-l container filled with this high-performance ACM has been estimated to be 39.3 g H2 at 4 MPa and 77 K. Comparison of the results obtained for advanced ACM with those reported in the literature for metal organic frameworks (MOF) points out that high performance ACM have a great potential as carriers of hydrogen. Moreover, the claimed advantages of MOF compared to activated carbons need further confirmation.