Effects of structure and surface properties on carbon nanotubes’ hydrogen storage characteristics

Hydrogen adsorption experiments were carried out in special stainless steel vessels at room temperature (298 K) and under 10 MPa using self-synthesized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. In the experiments, carbon nanotubes synthesized by the seeded catalyst method were pretreated by being soaked in chemical reagents or annealed at high temperature before they were used to adsorb hydrogen, but their capacity for hydrogen storage was still poor. Carbon nanotubes synthesized by the floating catalyst method were found to be able to adsorb more hydrogen. They have a hydrogen storage capacity of over 4% after they were annealed at high temperatures, which suggested that they could be used as a promising material for hydrogen storage.