Enhancing hydrogen storage on carbon nanotubes via hybrid chemical etching and Pt decoration employing supercritical carbon dioxide fluid

Acidic etching and Pt particle decoration were applied to modify the hydrogen absorption behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Two different acidic solutions, namely H₂SO₄/HNO₃ and FeSO ₄/H₂SO₄/H₂O₂, were used for etching treatment. A novel electroless deposition process, incorporating supercritical CO₂ (sc-CO₂) fluid, was used to decorate finely-dispersed nano-sized Pt particles on CNTs. The hydrogen storage capacities of various modified CNTs were measured by using a high pressure thermal gravimetric microbalance (HPTGA). The experimental results showed that acidic etching could increase the surface defect density and lead to open-up of the caps of CNTs, resulting in an increase in the active adsorption site for physical sorption of H_2. The electroless deposition of nano-Pt particles on CNTs, using conventional electrolyte, could promote chemical sorption of hydrogen via spillover mechanism. By employing sc-CO₂ bath, the Pt particle size became much finer and more uniformly distributed on the surfaces of CNTs, giving rise to a high hydrogen storage capacity. When a hybrid process including sc-CO₂ Pt decoration following acidic etching was applied to modify CNTs, a substantial enhancement of hydrogen storage capacity (about 2.7 wt%) was observed.