Hydrogen storage capacity of highly porous carbons synthesized from biomass-derived aerogels

Abstract

In this work, highly porous carbons were prepared by chemical activation of carbonized biomass-derived aerogels. These aerogels were synthesized from watermelon flesh using a hydrothermal reaction. After carbonization, chemical activation was conducted using potas­sium hydroxide to enhance the specific surface area and microporosity. The micro-structural properties and morphologies were measured by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron mi­croscopy, respectively. The specific surface area and microporosity were investigated by N2/77 K adsorption-desorption isotherms using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda equation, respectively. Hydrogen storage capacity was dependent on the activation temperature. The highest capacity of 2.7 wt% at 77 K and 1 bar was obtained with an activation temperature of 900°C.