Synthesis of fibrous activated carbons and monoliths for hydrogen storage

For a future energy sector, hydrogen is considered a clean alternative to other fuels. As an ideal secondary energy carrier it can be produced from renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, biomass, etc.), and converted very efficiently to electricity in fuel cells, emitting only water. However, one of the main obstacles which impedes the introduction of this technology is the absence of efficient storage solutions. This is strongly related to the low density of hydrogen, which exists as a supercritical fluid under normal conditions. In order to use hydrogen as a fuel, a number of different technologies are considered today. Among them, the high pressure storage in adsorbent materials is a promising technology. The adsorbents for such kind of application require very specific features, depending on the thermophysical storage conditions.