B24 cluster as promising material for lithium storage and hydrogen storage applications

First-principles calculations are carried out to explore the possibility of using Li-decorated B24 clusters for storage of lithium and molecular hydrogen. With nine lithium atoms adsorbed on B24, the specific capacity reaches up to 749.1 mA h/g, which is much higher than that of conventional graphite-based electrode materials. The results also show that Li-decorated B24 clusters have considerable potential as promising high-capacity hydrogen storage materials. Through the polarization mechanism, each Li atom can catch two H2 molecules leading to a H2 storage capacity of about 9.24 wt%.