Advancements in Hydrogen Storage: A Study of ZIF-8

Science Center A254

In the development of clean renewable energy, hydrogen cells are being investigated for their practical applications in the automotive industry. These applications would include cars that are fueled purely by electricity and hydrogen gas. To achieve such a goal, it is necessary to both gather and store hydrogen as efficiently as possible. Our lab focuses on hydrogen storage by studying metal organic framework (MOFs). In recent years MOFs have been studied in hopes of being used for hydrogen storage. Their highly porous nature allows for large scale gas adsorption, making them an ideal candidate for storing hydrogen. We spent the past summer using low temperature infrared spectroscopy along with temperature programmed desorption (TPD) to study the adsorption properties of zeolite imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), a sub class of MOFs. Our results, which were determined over multiple trials to assure consistency, indicate both the isosteric heat of desorption of hydrogen in ZIF-8, approximately 5 kJ/mol, and a relationship between the infrared frequency shift and this heat of desorption. This relationship may give us a deeper understanding of MOF-hydrogen interactions, and thus lead us to understand the adsorption desorption process in greater depth. Understanding this process can lead to the development of MOFs with much higher binding energies, preferably in the range of 15-20 kJ/mol, that may then be used commercially for hydrogen storage.