Self-Printing on Graphitic Nanosheets with Metal Borohydride Nanodots for Hydrogen Storage.

ABSTRACT: Although the synthesis of borohydride nanostructures is sufficiently established for advancement of hydrogen storage, obtaining ultrasmall (sub-10?nm) metal borohydride nanocrystals with excellent dispersibility is extremely challenging because of their high surface energy, exceedingly strong reducibility/hydrophilicity and complicated composition. Here, we demonstrate a mechanical-force-driven self-printing process that enables monodispersed (~6?nm) NaBH4 nanodots to uniformly anchor onto freshly-exfoliated graphitic nanosheets (GNs). Both mechanical-forces and borohydride interaction with GNs stimulate NaBH4 clusters intercalation/absorption into the graphite interlayers acting as a 'pen' for writing, which is accomplished by exfoliating GNs with the 'printed' borohydrides. These nano-NaBH4@GNs exhibit favorable thermodynamics (decrease in ?H of ~45%), rapid kinetics (a greater than six-fold increase) and stable de-/re-hydrogenation that retains a high capacity (up to ~5?wt% for NaBH4) compared with those of micro-NaBH4. Our results are helpful in the scalable fabrication of zero-dimensional complex hydrides on two-dimensional supports with enhanced hydrogen storage for potential applications.

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4971464 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature