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DoE, University of Chicago Extend Nanoscale Fuel Cell Project
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab will investigate where nanostructured polymeric materials could help make fuel-cell cars a reality. A long-standing problem with using fuel cells to autos is that current technology does not support an on-board hydrogen storage system that could hold enough fuel to take a car 300 miles.
DoE Argonne Labs’ Di-Jia Liu will lead the joint effort with University of Chicago to investigate nanostructured polymeric materials as hydrogen storage adsorbents.
The Argonne-UC project will investigate nanostructured polymeric materials as hydrogen storage adsorbents. Developed through an earlier collaboration between Argonne and the University of Chicago, the new polymer adsorbent material has shown great promise in preliminary tests.
"The successful outcome of the project will lead to a low-cost, high-capacity hydrogen storage material that can be mass-produced within the existing industrial infrastructure," said Di-Jia Liu, Argonne scientist who is leading the research project.
The new 4-year project, funded by DOE will seek further improvements in storage capacity and an in-depth understanding of hydrogen-polymer interactions. The grant is from the DoE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and will allow this Argonne-University of Chicago research team to significantly expand their scope of study and continue technology development.
The Problem with Hydrogen Storage
Current hydrogen storage technology, as a high-pressure compressed gas or as a liquid at very low temperatures, does not adequately meet all the requirements for the automotive application.
A suitable hydrogen adsorbent will work at low pressures with enhanced capacity, Liu said. The polymer materials under investigation by Argonne-University of Chicago team have the potential to adsorb hydrogen without breaking its bond, a process called "physisorption." Preliminary tests of the material have demonstrated "encouraging hydrogen storage capacity, reversibility and stability," Liu said.
The research effort includes Argonne chemists Liu, Martha Finck and postdoctoral researcher Junbing Yang of the Chemical Engineering Division, theorist Peter Zapol of the Materials Science Division, physicist Peter Chupas of the Advanced Photon Source, and Professor Luping Yu's research group at the University of Chicago.
"This project," Liu said, "brings together experts from different disciplines, ranging from basic sciences to applied technology. Our hope is that through such close interaction, we would be able to develop the best possible materials with the support of fundamental understanding of hydrogen storage chemistry."
Funding for the preliminary research came from the Department of Energy Office of Science under a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Project.
"The successful outcome of the project will lead to a low-cost, high-capacity hydrogen storage material that can be mass-produced within the existing industrial infrastructure," said Di-Jia Liu, Argonne scientist who is leading the research project.
The new 4-year project, funded by DOE will seek further improvements in storage capacity and an in-depth understanding of hydrogen-polymer interactions. The grant is from the DoE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and will allow this Argonne-University of Chicago research team to significantly expand their scope of study and continue technology development.
The Problem with Hydrogen Storage
Current hydrogen storage technology, as a high-pressure compressed gas or as a liquid at very low temperatures, does not adequately meet all the requirements for the automotive application.
A suitable hydrogen adsorbent will work at low pressures with enhanced capacity, Liu said. The polymer materials under investigation by Argonne-University of Chicago team have the potential to adsorb hydrogen without breaking its bond, a process called "physisorption." Preliminary tests of the material have demonstrated "encouraging hydrogen storage capacity, reversibility and stability," Liu said.
The research effort includes Argonne chemists Liu, Martha Finck and postdoctoral researcher Junbing Yang of the Chemical Engineering Division, theorist Peter Zapol of the Materials Science Division, physicist Peter Chupas of the Advanced Photon Source, and Professor Luping Yu's research group at the University of Chicago.
"This project," Liu said, "brings together experts from different disciplines, ranging from basic sciences to applied technology. Our hope is that through such close interaction, we would be able to develop the best possible materials with the support of fundamental understanding of hydrogen storage chemistry."
Funding for the preliminary research came from the Department of Energy Office of Science under a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Project.