Hydrogen storage in carbon nitride nanobells

Aligned carbon nitride (C-N) nanobells in polymer form, prepared by microwa ve plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition, were used as hydrogen adsorbe nt. A hydrogen storage capacity up to 8 wt % was achieved reproducibly unde r ambient pressure and at temperature of 300 degreesC. The high hydrogen st orage capacity under the moderate conditions was mainly derived from the sh ort nanobell structure with openended graphitic layers, as well as the nitr ogen in the nanobells, which acts as an active site for hydrogen adsorption . The high hydrogen uptake and the simple adsorption-desorption process sug gest that a C-N nanobell is promising as a hydrogen storage material. (C) 2 001 American Institute of Physics.