Hydrogen Storage Materials and Technologies

Hydrogen storage lies at the heart of a viable hydrogen economy, offering a zero-emission energy carrier for transportation, grid balancing and industrial processes. Storage approaches range from compressed gas and cryogenic liquid to chemical and solid-state methods. Solid-state storage encompasses metal hydrides, complex borohydrides, high-entropy alloys and advanced sorbents such as metal–organic frameworks and porous carbons. These materials seek to maximise gravimetric and volumetric energy densities while ensuring reversible uptake and release under practical temperatures and pressures. Achieving rapid sorption kinetics and favourable thermodynamics remains a central challenge: many hydrides require elevated temperatures or suffer from sluggish absorption and desorption rates. Nanostructuring and nanoconfinement strategies have proven effective in reducing diffusion barriers and tuning enthalpies, while catalytic additives further accelerate hydrogen exchange. Emerging composite designs integrate protective layers—such as atomically thin graphene derivatives—to enhance air stability and cyclic performance. Computational methods and machine-learning models are increasingly employed to screen promising compositions and pore architectures. Collectively, these advances address safety, cost and efficiency, drawing hydrogen storage materials ever closer to widespread deployment in mobile and stationary applications.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A high-entropy alloy composed of multiple transition metals has been demonstrated to absorb hydrogen at an unprecedented ratio of up to 2.5 H atoms per metal atom. Lattice strain in the multicomponent alloy stabilises both tetrahedral and octahedral sites, leading to enhanced storage capacity and suggesting a new design principle for metallic hydrides. In a separate advance, atomically thin reduced graphene oxide sheets were used to encapsulate magnesium nanocrystals, forming multilaminate films with exceptional air stability. These composites achieved hydrogen storage densities of over 6 wt% and 0.105 kg H₂ L⁻¹ while maintaining rapid sorption kinetics. Protective graphene layers minimise oxide formation and reduce inactive mass, offering a scalable route to dense, solid-state hydrogen reservoirs.

Research from all publishers

Nanostructuring of magnesium-based hydrides has been refined to promote hydrogen diffusion and lower activation energies. Ball milling and template synthesis yield nano-grained MgH₂ composites with reduced dehydrogenation temperatures and improved cycling stability. Confinement within porous carbon frameworks further moderates thermodynamics, enabling hydrogen release below 300 °C. Another study has advanced sorbent design by integrating machine-learning algorithms with experimental databases. Predictive models now guide the synthesis of metal–organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, optimising pore size, surface chemistry and binding enthalpy to achieve gravimetric capacities approaching 10 wt%. Finally, comparative analysis of metal hydrides, borohydrides and complex alanates has highlighted trade-offs between storage capacity, operating conditions and raw-material costs. Lifecycle assessments underscore the importance of abundant elements and scalable production for sustainable, large-scale hydrogen storage solutions.

Hydrogen Storage Materials and Technologies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in hydrogen storage materials and technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gravimetric energy density: Energy stored per unit mass of material, usually expressed in weight percent (wt%).

Volumetric energy density: Energy stored per unit volume of material, expressed in kg H₂ per litre or MJ per litre.

Metal hydride: A solid compound in which hydrogen atoms occupy interstitial sites within a metal lattice, enabling reversible storage.

Nanostructuring: Engineering material features at the nanometre scale to enhance surface area, reduce diffusion lengths and modify thermodynamics.

Nanoconfinement: Encapsulation of hydride phases within nanoscale pores or matrices to tailor reaction enthalpies and kinetics.

Metal–organic framework (MOF): A porous crystalline network composed of metal ions and organic linkers, used for selective gas adsorption.

High-entropy alloy: An alloy formed from multiple principal elements in near-equimolar ratios, yielding complex crystal structures and tunable properties.

References

1. Superior hydrogen storage in high entropy alloys. Scientific Reports (2016).
2. Graphene oxide/metal nanocrystal multilaminates as the atomic limit for safe and selective hydrogen storage. Nature Communications (2016).
3. Nanostructuring of Mg-Based Hydrogen Storage Materials: Recent Advances for Promoting Key Applications. Nano-Micro Letters (2023).
4. Tailoring Hydrogen Storage Materials Kinetics and Thermodynamics Through Nanostructuring, and Nanoconfinement With In‐Situ Catalysis. Interdisciplinary Materials (2025).
5. Enhanced hydrogen storage efficiency with sorbents and machine learning: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters (2024).