Direct and reversible hydrogen storage of lithium hydride (LiH) nanoconfined in high surface area graphite

LiH has great potential as a high capacity hydrogen storage material (12 wt.%), however its thermodynamic stability has so far precluded practical application. Temperatures near 700 degrees C are required for hydrogen release and uptake. Herein, we report on a novel method to realise hydrogen uptake and release under milder temperature conditions without using any catalyst or alloying. Through nanoconfinement within the pores (2-20 nm) of high surface area graphite (HSAG) LiH displayed remarkable hydrogen storage properties and was able to release 1.9 wt.% of hydrogen from 200 degrees C. Reversibility was also achieved under the moderate conditions of 300 degrees C and 6 MPa hydrogen pressure. This demonstrates that the properties of LiH are particle size dependent and thus leads to new possibilities to realise the potential of LiH as a practical high capacity hydrogen storage material. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.