Abstract
Pd-free and Pd-containing activated carbon fibers (Pd-ACF) were synthesized from isotropic pitch as a carbon precursor. The source of Pd was a palladium salt that was premixed with pitch before carbonization. Hydrogen adsorption was measured at near-ambient temperatures (5 to 80 oC) and moderate pressures (up to 20 bar). It was found that adsorption on Pd-ACF is always higher than that on corresponding ACF, and in excess of what it would be expected based solely on formation of Pd hydride. This fact can be explained based on the mechanism of hydrogen spillover. It was also found that temperature and pressure have opposite effects on physisorption and spillover. It was hypothesized that a narrow temperature range exists, where the kinetic advantage of H2 spillover in Pd-ACF overlaps synergistically with the thermodynamic advantage of physisorption, thus contributing to enhanced uptakes compared with the Pd-free carbons.
