Hydrogen In Motion (Develop reduced graphene oxide nanomaterials for hydrogen storage and transport)

Hydrogen In Motion, a Canadian hydrogen energy startup founded in 2014, develops advanced solid-state hydrogen carriers that enable hydrogen storage at low pressures and ambient temperatures.

Challenges: hydrogen storage

Hydrogen (H₂), the most abundant element in the universe, is not just a fundamental building block of stars—it's also a vital ingredient in the synthesis of ammonia. Production of ammonia plays a crucial role in producing a wide range of products we use on a daily basis, including fertilizers for crop nourishment. Hydrogen also plays more and more important roles in decarbonizing steel industries and transport sectors.

Traditionally, the world has relied heavily on steam methane reforming (SMR) to produce over 60 million tons of hydrogen annually. However, this method comes with a significant environmental cost. It's an energy-intensive process that contributes approximately 2% to global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, releasing between 5 and 9 tons of CO₂ for every ton of hydrogen it generates.

There are cleaner paths to producing hydrogen, such as water electrolysis and methane pyrolysis.

After production, transporting hydrogen to end users is necessary. Gaseous hydrogen is commonly delivered by trucks called tube trailers. These vehicles compress hydrogen to high pressures (700 bar) in long cylinders stacked on the trailer. Hydrogen is also liquefied and transported in specially insulated trucks or ships. In a liquid hydrogen storage tank storing hydrogen by cryogenic liquefaction, hydrogen must be cooled down to −252 ºC. The energy consumed during this process can equal one-third of the energy stored by the hydrogen.

In automotive fuel cell applications, vehicular size and weight constraints present challenges to hydrogen storage. A typical automobile will consume about 4 kg of hydrogen in order to travel 400 km. But 4 kg of hydrogen will occupy about 45 m³ of volume under ambient temperature and pressure.

Alternative solutions to hydrogen storage and transport are emerging, including hydrogen carriers. Hydrogen carriers are either liquid-state or solid-state materials that have the ability to store hydrogen and release it when needed.

Among the liquid hydrogen carriers, Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) are the most represented. Typically, the organic hydrogen carrier is unsaturated or aromatic hydrocarbons, such as toluene and fluorenone. During the hydrogenation process, hydrogen is chemically bonded to the liquid organic carrier in the presence of a catalyst under heating. The resulting saturated hydrocarbon is transported in a liquid state at standard temperature and pressure. The dehydrogenation reaction, in the presence of a catalyst and heating, then releases the hydrogen from the saturated hydrocarbons.

Researchers have proposed solid-state hydrogen storage at room temperature and moderate pressure, such as below 50 bar, as a promising solution to the challenges faced by traditional hydrogen storage methods. Physisorption or chemical binding attracts hydrogen molecules stored in solid-state hydrogen storage materials, enabling extremely dense packing even beyond the liquid state.

Hydrogen In Motion Technology

Hydrogen In Motion has developed reduced graphene oxide nanomaterials that store hydrogen under ambient temperature and low pressure conditions. Reduced graphene oxide nanomaterials are modified with functional groups and metals for efficient hydrogen adsorption. Compared to conventional methods, this technology allows for twice the hydrogen storage capacity in the same volume at half the cost.

How Hydrogen In Motion stores hydrogen

The diagram below depicts reduced graphene oxide nanomaterials developed by Hydrogen In Motion for hydrogen storage under ambient temperature and low pressure.