The Energy Department today announced up to $4.6 million for four projects to develop advanced hydrogen storage materials that have potential to enable longer driving ranges and help make fuel cell systems competitive for different platforms and sizes of vehicles. Advanced hydrogen storage systems will be critical to the widespread commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

  • Ames Laboratory of Ames, Iowa, will receive up to $1.2M to investigate the development of novel high-capacity silicon-based borohydride/graphene composite hydrogen storage materials produced through mechanochemical processes. If successful, this project will develop reversible, high-capacity hydrogen storage materials with sorption kinetics, sufficient to achieve the DOE system targets.
  • The California Institute of Technology of Pasadena, California, will receive up to $1M to develop novel new high-capacity hydrogen sorbents based on high surface area graphene. Improved sorbents with higher volumetric capacity will allow for more optimal system design and improve total performance over current materials, making hydrogen sorbent systems a more viable option for practical applications, and to meet the DOE onboard storage system targets.
  • Texas A&M University of College Station, Texas, will receive up to $1.2M to develop new low-cost hydrogen sorbents that have high hydrogen sorption capacities that exceed the “Chahine rule” or the expected hydrogen adsorption per unit of surface area. Improved sorbents with higher volumetric capacity and improved thermal conductivity will allow for more optimal system design and improve total performance over current materials, making hydrogen sorbent systems a more viable option for practical applications, and to meet the DOE onboard storage system targets.
  • The University of Michigan of Ann Arbor, Michigan, will receive up to $1.2M to develop “best-in-class” hydrogen sorbent materials, with a focus on achieving simultaneously high volumetric and high gravimetric densities. This project is expected to lead to further improvements in hydrogen sorbent systems for onboard vehicle use.

Learn more about the Energy Department's broader efforts to develop affordable, efficient fuel cell and hydrogen technologies on EERE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells page.