Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage
Hydrogen is a promising green fuel carrier that can replace fossil fuels; however, its storage is still a challenge. Carbon-based materials with metal catalysts have recently been the focus of research for solid-state hydrogen storage due to their efficacy and low cost. Here, we report on the exfoli...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/13/18/2588 |
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| author | Darren Chow Nicholas Burns Emmanuel Boateng Joshua van der Zalm Stefan Kycia Aicheng Chen |
| author_facet | Darren Chow Nicholas Burns Emmanuel Boateng Joshua van der Zalm Stefan Kycia Aicheng Chen |
| author_sort | Darren Chow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hydrogen is a promising green fuel carrier that can replace fossil fuels; however, its storage is still a challenge. Carbon-based materials with metal catalysts have recently been the focus of research for solid-state hydrogen storage due to their efficacy and low cost. Here, we report on the exfoliation of expanded graphite (EG) through high shear mixing and probe tip sonication methods to form graphene-based nanomaterial ShEG and sEG, respectively. The exfoliation processes were optimized based on electrochemical capacitance measurements. The exfoliated EG was further functionalized with palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NP) for solid-state hydrogen storage. The prepared graphene-based nanomaterials (ShEG and sEG) and the nanocomposites (Pd-ShEG and Pd-sEG) were characterized with various traditional techniques (e.g., SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS, Raman, XRD) and the advanced high-resolution pair distribution function (HRPDF) analysis. Electrochemical hydrogen uptake and release (Q<sub>H</sub>) were measured, showing that the sEG decorated with Pd-NP (Pd-sEG, 31.05 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>) and ShEG with Pd-NP (Pd-ShEG, 24.54 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>) had a notable improvement over Pd-NP (9.87 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>) and the composite of Pd-EG (14.7 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>). Q<sub>H</sub> showed a strong linear relationship with an effective surface area to volume ratio, indicating nanoparticle size as a determining factor for hydrogen uptake and release. This work is a promising step toward the design of the high-performance solid-state hydrogen storage devices through mechanical exfoliation of the substrate EG to control nanoparticle size and dispersion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:21:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-023e013b6d214a4bb5a2a4131dc91b0e |
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| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:21:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-023e013b6d214a4bb5a2a4131dc91b0e2023-11-19T12:15:07ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912023-09-011318258810.3390/nano13182588Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen StorageDarren Chow0Nicholas Burns1Emmanuel Boateng2Joshua van der Zalm3Stefan Kycia4Aicheng Chen5Electrochemical Technology Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaDepartment of Physics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaElectrochemical Technology Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaElectrochemical Technology Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaDepartment of Physics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaElectrochemical Technology Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaHydrogen is a promising green fuel carrier that can replace fossil fuels; however, its storage is still a challenge. Carbon-based materials with metal catalysts have recently been the focus of research for solid-state hydrogen storage due to their efficacy and low cost. Here, we report on the exfoliation of expanded graphite (EG) through high shear mixing and probe tip sonication methods to form graphene-based nanomaterial ShEG and sEG, respectively. The exfoliation processes were optimized based on electrochemical capacitance measurements. The exfoliated EG was further functionalized with palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NP) for solid-state hydrogen storage. The prepared graphene-based nanomaterials (ShEG and sEG) and the nanocomposites (Pd-ShEG and Pd-sEG) were characterized with various traditional techniques (e.g., SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS, Raman, XRD) and the advanced high-resolution pair distribution function (HRPDF) analysis. Electrochemical hydrogen uptake and release (Q<sub>H</sub>) were measured, showing that the sEG decorated with Pd-NP (Pd-sEG, 31.05 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>) and ShEG with Pd-NP (Pd-ShEG, 24.54 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>) had a notable improvement over Pd-NP (9.87 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>) and the composite of Pd-EG (14.7 mC cm<sup>−2</sup>). Q<sub>H</sub> showed a strong linear relationship with an effective surface area to volume ratio, indicating nanoparticle size as a determining factor for hydrogen uptake and release. This work is a promising step toward the design of the high-performance solid-state hydrogen storage devices through mechanical exfoliation of the substrate EG to control nanoparticle size and dispersion.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/13/18/2588hydrogen storage devicegraphene-based nanocompositesliquid phase exfoliationhigh shear mixingprobe tip sonicationpalladium nanoparticle |
| spellingShingle | Darren Chow Nicholas Burns Emmanuel Boateng Joshua van der Zalm Stefan Kycia Aicheng Chen Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage Nanomaterials hydrogen storage device graphene-based nanocomposites liquid phase exfoliation high shear mixing probe tip sonication palladium nanoparticle |
| title | Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage |
| title_full | Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage |
| title_fullStr | Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage |
| title_short | Mechanical Exfoliation of Expanded Graphite to Graphene-Based Materials and Modification with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage |
| title_sort | mechanical exfoliation of expanded graphite to graphene based materials and modification with palladium nanoparticles for hydrogen storage |
| topic | hydrogen storage device graphene-based nanocomposites liquid phase exfoliation high shear mixing probe tip sonication palladium nanoparticle |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/13/18/2588 |
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