1.3 Carbon nanostructures fact sheet

Carbon Nanostructures Fact Sheet

Carbon nanostructures are exactly as their name implies, a nano-scale (10 ^-9 m) structure made exclusively of carbon atoms. It was originally cited that single-walled carbon nanotubes displayed the property of capturing hydrogen, however recent efforts to replicate the results have been difficult. It is known, however, that doping the nanotube with a metal will have a profound effect on capturing hydrogen ² . The key benefit of this storage technique is the availability of reversible binding at room temperature.

While these structures cannot capture as much hydrogen as the DOE goals require, many research efforts are being made to tune these structures so as to store a greater amount to hydrogen gas. Carbon nanotubes are a relatively new technology and therefore efforts must be made to drive down the cost of producing these tubes. Nanotubes are a promising method of gas storage, and will most likely find application in vehicles.

Image courtesy of Dr. Mohamed Eddaoudi at the University of South Florida, Department of Chemistry

[2] U.S. Department of Energy. (External Link)