Metal organic frameworks for hydrogen purification

High purity hydrogen is one of the key factors in determining the lifetime of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. However, the current industrial processes for producing high purity hydrogen are not only expensive, but also come with low energy efficiencies and productivity. Finding more cost-effective methods of purifying hydrogen is essential for ensuring wider scale deployment of PEM fuel cells. Among various hydrogen purification methods, adsorption in porous materials and membrane technologies are seen as two of the most promising candidates for the current industrial hydrogen purification methods, with metal organic frameworks (MOF) being particularly popular in research over the last decade. Despite many available reviews on MOFs, most focus on synthesis and production, with few reports focused on performance for hydrogen purification. This review describes the working principle and performance parameters of adsorptive separations and membrane materials and identifies MOFs that have been reported for hydrogen purification. The MOFs are summarised and their performance in separating hydrogen from common impurities (CO2, N-2, CH4, CO) is compared systematically. The challenges of commercial application of MOFs for hydrogen purification are discussed. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

High purity hydrogen is crucial for the lifetime of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, but current industrial processes for producing hydrogen are costly and inefficient. Adsorption and membrane technologies, particularly using MOFs, are promising for hydrogen purification. This review summarizes the performance of MOFs in hydrogen purification and discusses the challenges in commercial application.