Hydrogen Adsorption on Nanoporous Biocarbon

As a part of the Alliance for Collaborative Research in Alternative Fuel Technology (http://all-craft.missouri.edu) we study activated carbons made from corncob, optimized for storing methane and hydrogen (H2) by physisorption at low pressure. We report here: (a) storage capacities of 73-91 g H2/kg carbon at 77 K and 47 bar, validated in three different laboratories (the 2010 DOE target is 60 g H2/kg system); (b) binding energies from H2 adsorption isotherms (c) temperature-programmed desorption data; (d) degree of graphitization of the carbon surface from Raman spectra; (e) pore structure of carbon from nitrogen and methane adsorption isotherms, and small-angle x-ray scattering. The structural analysis shows that the carbon is highly microporous and that the pore space is highly correlated (micropores do not scatter independently).