Catalytic Effect of Transition Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on the Hydrogen Storage Capacity of Graphene Nanocomposites

Yuda Yürüm, Program of Material Science and Nanoengineeering, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey
Alp Yürüm , Nanotechnology Research And Application Center, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey


The realization of innovative hydrogen storage materials has worldwide strategic importance. In the viewpoints of onboard storage applications, practical materials require efficient hydrogen adsorption at room temperature and pressures relevant for mobile systems. Among the various options for hydrogen storage technologies, much effort has been devoted to graphene-based systems due to their outstanding properties like large specific surface area, chemical stability, and low mass density. To further improve the adsorption capacity of graphene-based materials, surface modifications such as functionalization by metal or metal oxide nanoparticles can be an alternative.

A series of graphene-based nanocomposites with different transition metal oxides (named as TMO-rGO) have been prepared via a facile chemical method. All nanocomposites were employed as a hydrogen gas adsorption media at room temperature and pressures up to 8 bar. The role of dispersion state of nanoparticles on hydrogen adsorption properties of the nanocomposite was examined through the kinetic studies. Higher hydrogen uptake of composites compared to that of graphene sample was related to the strong attachment of highly distributed nanoparticles to the underlying graphene sheets.

Keywords: Graphene, Transition metal oxide, Hydrogen adsorption.