Polyaniline-based nanocomposite materials for hydrogen storage

Nanomaterials have diverse tunable physical properties as a function of their size and shape due to strong quantum confinement effect and large surface to volume ratio. On basis of these facts, nanocomposite materials can be considered as strong candidates for hydrogen storage. In the present work, we report a novel conducting polymeric nanocomposite material for hydrogen storage. Conducting polymer-based nanocomposites were modified using carbon nanotubes as filler material. This further increased the porous structure of the nanocomposite and the number of binding sites, which in turn enhances the hydrogen storage capacity. Additionally, fine aluminum powder was added to the polymeric nanocomposite, which further increased the hydrogen sorption of the material. The modified conducting polymeric nanocomposites were characterized with various analytical techniques including FTIR, DSC, TGA and SEM. Adsorption and desorption experiments are conducted using a Sieverts-type volumetric PCT instrument. Further experiments are in progress to understand the hydrogen storage mechanism in the proposed conducting polymer nanocomposites.