Polyelectrolyte Multilayered Nanofilms as a Novel Approach for the Protection of Hydrogen Storage Materials

Abstract

This work describes the encapsulation of hydrogen storage materials from organic solvents. Due to complex formation the shell provides stability and selective permeability. Specifically, sodium borohydride particles were encapsulated within polymer films by the layer-by-layer self-assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (polyethyleneimine and poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-acrylic acid)). The polymer nanofilm fabrication was performed using dichloromethane as a working media. IR spectroscopy was applied to investigate the chemical interaction between the polyelectrolytes. The multilayer film preparation was verified by Z-potential measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser microscopy. The stability of sodium borohydride protected with a polyelectrolyte shell was increased compared to that of the pure material under ambient conditions.

Interaction mechanism of hydrogen storage materials with layer-by-layer applied protective polyelectrolyte coatings

“…As reported in the literature [2,20], the layer-by-layer method effectively protects sensitive hydrogen storage materials like SBH. PABA and PEI form stable complexes with SBH and the formed shell is impermeable to polar compounds like water, thus effectively protecting the hydrogen storage material.…”

“…The prospective sources of chemical energy for a variety of applications will most probably be based on hydrogen [1,2] and it is expected that hydrogen will play the key role especially in the transport area. The storage of hydrogen though remains as one of the most critical tasks prior to establish a hydrogen economy and it still has not been overcome [2].…”

“…The storage of hydrogen though remains as one of the most critical tasks prior to establish a hydrogen economy and it still has not been overcome [2].…”

“…Amongst these complex metal hydrides, the NaBH 4 is considered to be the most attractive hydride for its easy synthesis [2]. However, all of these materials suffer from severe ageing after long times of exposure to air or other humid environments by forming surface oxides which act as kinetic barriers for hydrogen desorption [18].…”

Design of Nanostructured Functional Coatings by Using Wet-Chemistry Methods

“…Other novel works are focused on the use of assembled multilayer polyelectrolytes onto healing agents (corrosion inhibitors) by using layer-by-layer assembly which can be released on demand (external stimuli, pH, light, chemical reactions) [68]. In this sense, the pH-dependent self-healing of LbL deposited multilayer of weak and strong polyelectrolytes can be used as an effective anticorrosion protection system [69,70]. In addition, the development of superhydrophobic surfaces with self-healing is a very promising engineering approach.…”