HKUST-1 derived Cu(II)/Cu(I)-doped carbon catalyst for enhancing MgH2 hydrogen storage performance

Magnesium Hydride (MgH 2 ) is a promising hydrogen storage material but suffers from a high dehydrogenation temperature and sluggish sorption kinetics, which hinder its practical application. Accordingly, we report the use of a Cu-based metal-organic framework (HKUST-1) derived carbon material as a catalyst for optimizing the MgH 2 hydrogen storage performance. The MgH 2 containing 10 wt% HKUST-1 (denoted as MgH 2 -HKUST-1) exhibits a maximum dehydrogenation temperature of 50 °C, much lower than pure MgH 2 . Additionally, it demonstrates enhanced hydrogenation dynamics: it adsorbs 6.4 wt% H 2 within 240 s when heated to 350 °C, and even at 200 °C, it still captures 5.7 wt% H 2 in 60 min. Moreover, the dehydrogenation activation energy is 85.01 kJ per mole of H 2 , showing a marked reduction compared to pure MgH 2 . Furthermore, the excellent H 2 storage performance perhaps stems from the synergistic interaction of Cu 2+ /Cu + redox reactions, mechanochemical size effects, and in situ carbon scaffolding.