Effects of nitrogen plasma treatments on hydrogen storage capacity of microporous carbon at room temperature and its feasibility as a hydrogen storage material

For the commercialization of hydrogen energy, a technology enabling safe storage and the transport of large amounts of hydrogen is needed. Porous materials are attracting attention as hydrogen storage material; however, their gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity (GHSC) at room temperature (RT) is insufficient for actual use. In an effort to overcome this limitation, we present a N-doped microporous carbon that contains large proportion of micropores with diameters below 1 nm and small amounts of N elements imparted by the nitrogen plasma treatment. The N-doped microporous carbon exhibits the highest total GHSC (1.59 wt%) at RT, and we compare the hydrogen storage capacities of our sample with those of metal alloys, showing their advantages and disadvantages as hydrogen storage materials. Graphical abstract