A nanostructured Ni/graphene hybrid for enhanced electrochemical hydrogen storage

To fabricate electrochemical hydrogen storage materials with delaminated structure, the graphene oxide (GO) in the ethylene glycol solution was reassembled in the presence of the precursor of Ni nanoparticles, and then, the reassembled hybrid was reduced under hydrogen atmosphere to obtain Ni/graphene hybrid. X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray absorption spectscopic (XAS) analysis clearly show that Ni nanoparticles in Ni/graphene hybrid maintain its nanosized nature even after hybridization with graphene nanosheet (GNS). According to the TEM analysis, the Ni nanoparticles with an average size of 5.2 nm are homogeneously distributed onto the GNS in such a way that the nanoporous structure with much amount of void spaces could be fabricated. The obtained Ni/GNS exhibits a hydrogen storage capacity of 160 mA h/g, while the specific capacity of the graphene nanosheet was only 21 mA h/g. A flexible delaminated structure of Ni/GNS nanocomposite could provide additional intercalation sites for accommodation of hydrogen, leading to the enhancement of hydrogen storage capacity.