Influence of copper electroplating on high pressure hydrogen-storage behaviors of activated carbon fibers

In this work, copper nanoparticles were plated onto the surfaces of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) in order to investigate the effects of their presence on the high pressure hydrogen-storage behaviors of the resultant Cu/ACFs, as studied by PCT apparatus at 100 atm and 298 K. The Cu/ACFs' pore structures and total pore volumes were analyzed by reference to N₂ / 77 K adsorption isotherms, and their chemical composition and surface morphologies were characterized using an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. In the experimental result, the specific surface area and total pore volume decreased with increasing electroplating time. However, the hydrogen-storage capacity was enhanced in the presence of Cu nanoparticles for Cu-10 and Cu-30 samples, and then began to decline. These results indicated that the surface properties were decreased by the Cu nanoparticles, but that the hydrogen-storage capacity was increased by the modified spill over of hydrogen molecules into the carbon structures.