Energy Storage in Graphene Oxide
Per molecule, hydrogen can store one of the largest amounts of chemical energy. This energy can be transformed into electricity in an environmentally clean procedure using a fuel cell.
However, the challenge of storing such hydrogen in a small volume, as well as the lack of a hydrogen distribution infrastructure represent major drawbacks for a deployment of a hydrogen-based economy. In the ONPV research group we explore H atoms storage by chemically binding them to the carbon atoms of a 2-dimensional graphene like lattice, exploiting the safe and high hydrogen storage capacity provided by such graphene like structures. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of the dynamical evolution of the lattice morphology which is key to achieve a stable H storage as well as the reverse process of H desorption.