GoNano can produce a range of high surface area materials. Since we have the ability to controllably modulate the surface chemistry of our nanostructures, a number of potential applications exist within scientific and environmental markets. Within this sector we are focused on a specific material which has ideal properties for hydrogen storage.

A critical technical challenge to implementation of the “Hydrogen Economy” relates to the development of safe, lightweight and deployable hydrogen storage systems. It is generally accepted that storage of hydrogen as a compressed gas is not viable for transportation applications, thus a large body of work aimed at the development of solids that reversibly interact with H₂ has ensued. Critical to the attributes of any hydrogen storage system are 1) a high gravimetric storage capacity and 2) viable thermodynamic and kinetic release properties. The materials GoNano employs for hydrogen storage can satisfy these requirements and more.

Generally, the focus has been on systems with a high surface area and a specific H₂ interaction has been evaluated; examples include microporous media (e.g., zeolites) and metal hydrides. Zeolites offer microchannels that act to encapsulate H₂, however the kinetic properties of encapsulation and release limit their viability as a storage media. Metal hydrides have theoretical gravimetric capacities extending into the 20% w/w range, however to date actual realized capacities are less than 5%. A further problem with current metal hydrides is the strongly exothermic nature of the hydrogen interaction.

Liquid carrier technologies offer storage capacities of up to 10%; however, such implementations require catalytic H₂ release and produce waste compounds that require either disposal or re-hydrogenation thus introducing tremendous complexity and energetic drains on the overall benefit of employing hydrogen as a fuel.

The high surface area and unique electronic properties offered by nanomaterials has opened up yet another possibility for hydrogen storage applications. Carbon nanotubes have been shown to provide the necessary hydrogen interaction, yet temperatures in excess of 700°C are required for hydrogen release, and maximum storage capacity is limited to ~4% w/w.

GoNano Technologies has a cheaply produced material with a surface area of ~200 m²/g that demonstrates a multilayered H₂ adsorption. While we have yet to determine the upper limit of the storage capacity we know it to be in excess of 7% w/w and 70% w/v. Importantly complete hydrogen release can be achieved with only modest heating (100°C) thereby making it an ideal material for use in hydrogen storage systems.