Hydrogen is considered to be a major energy carrier for low- carbon transportation in the future, but its real application in fuel-cell vehicles is limited by difficulties in storing it onboard. Metal - organic frameworks (MOFs) have become key candidates for solid state hydrogen adsorption materials because of their tunable pore structures, high surface areas, and chemically tunable binding environments. This work provides a review of the structural influences on the uptake of hydrogen in MOFs such as pore size, specific surface area, open metal sites and linker functionalization and how these characteristics can be optimized to meet the stringent performance targets for automotive applications. Recent progress in the pore engineering, functional modification and metal site design are discussed along with experimental case studies showing improved storage capacities. Finally, potential application scenarios are considered, such as low-pressure tanks on board, cryo-adsorption hybrid systems, boil-off management of liquid hydrogen as well as the hydrogen transport infrastructure. Overall, these results demonstrate all the potential of MOF- based hydrogen storage technology, as well as the challenges it faces. They also clearly indicate that it is necessary to implement integrated material system design in the next generation of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Yu Fu (Fri,) studied this question.