Enhanced hydrogen storage in carbon-modified MgB2

The proposed experiment aims to investigate the crystal structure and disorder in the local structure of a carbon-modified MgB2 hydrogen storage material with enhanced performance compared to traditional MgB2. The goal is to quantify the carbon integration in the crystal structure and the impact it has on local distortions of both the starting material and the hydride. In addition, we want to study the kinetics of the hydrogenation reaction. The modifications imposed by carbon significantly increase the hydrogen binding energy associated with the initial physisorption, pushing the material closer to applications. The aim is to understand the origin of the enhanced performance of carbon-modified MgB2, and create design principles to improve the performance further. Ultimately, the goal is to prepare competitive materials for commercial hydrogen storage applications.