Use of novel carbon-nanofiber-doped carbon liquid crystals as suitable adsorbents for hydrogen storage

Over the last few years a number of groups have been exploring the possibilities and limitations associated with using adsorption on newly developed materials for the storage of hydrogen. Here we report the results of hydrogen adsorption investigations on a newly synthesized form of carbon nanofiber-doped carbon liquid crystals. This material shows a marked increase in specific surface area upon activation with water vapor, leading to activated samples that are capable of adsorbing hydrogen upto 3.5% by weight at 77.3 K, at moderate pressures. The possibility of higher adsorption (∼6.5 wt. %) in these materials is also discussed.