In the news this week is a report of a molecule whose crystal lattice is capable of both storing and releasing large amounts of hydrogen gas at modest pressures and temperatures. Thus “NU-1501-Al” can absorb 14 weight% of hydrogen. To power a low-polluting car with a 500 km range, about 4-5 kg of hydrogen gas would be need to be stored and released safely.
The structure and dynamics of enigmatic hexa(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)ethane was characterized via NMR spectroscopy for the first time.
Delivering methane and hydrogen The pressure for onboard storage of methane and hydrogen on vehicles is usually limited to 100 bar for the use of lightweight containers, but the amount stored can be increased with the use of absorbent materials. Efficient storage and delivery require a balance of volumetric and gravimetric storage. Chen et al. designed a metal-organic framework with trialuminum nodes and a large hexadentate aromatic linker that optimizes both parameters. This material surpassed the U.S. Department of Energy targets for methane and had a deliverable capacity of 14% by weight for hydrogen. Science , this issue p. 297