Molecular gels for hydrogen storage applications

Hydrogen storage is an important technique under development and can potentially provide grid energy storage for intermittent energy sources like wind power as well as providing fuel for transportation, particularly for ships and airplanes. The energy stored in 5-10 kg of hydrogen is enough to drive a medium sized car 500 km. However,
hydrogen is problematic. It is an explosive gas and difficult to store. The storage problem has been the focus of intense research and one attractive solution is to store hydrogen in chemical compounds. However, no material to date exhibit all the necessary properties to make this approach viable. Clearly, new materials needs to be
considered. In this proposal we look beyond the materials that have been considered to date and suggest a new material that relies on self-assembly of small organic molecules that contain molecular
functions that are able to store hydrogen gas.

The aim is to develop a supramolecular self-assembly
material for hydrogen storage applications.