Probing the Room Temperature Spatial Distribution of Hydrogen in Nanoporous Carbon by Use of Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

The spatial distribution of hydrogen physically adsorbed in a nanoporous carbon at room temperature (RT) as a function of H-2 gas pressure is investigated for the first time using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). A hierarchical pore structure consisting of micropores and a fractal mesopore network of the used activated carbon is also studied to correlate the relationship between the spatial distribution of hydrogen and the pore confinement. The cylinder-like cluster of aggregated hydrogen is formed and is confined in the disklike micropore. The evolution of spatial structures of adsorbed hydrogen with hydrogen pressure is elucidated. A direct experimental observation of the spatial distribution and the behavior of hydrogen adsorbed in the porous materials at RT is still scarce to date. The analysis results obtained by SANS provide new information for the future investigations of the RT storage mechanism of hydrogen in the nanoporous materials developed for the purpose of on-board hydrogen storage.