Preparation and application of sulfonated polysulfone in an electrochemical hydrogen storage system

Storage of hydrogen in/on solid-state materials is predicted from their tendency to adsorb-desorb hydrogen. It is crucial to find a new class of materials that can reversibly store hydrogen at high rates under reasonable temperature, pressure, and cost conditions. Polymeric materials have recently come to the fore of hydrogen storage technologies because of their reversible capacity, approximately high surface area, and thermomechanical stabilities. Here, we report, for the first time, a polymer for hydrogen storage based on sulfonated polysulfone (SPSU) of above 500 mAh g−1 (~1.8 wt% H) of discharge capacity. Primarily, the SPSU have polymerized from polysulfone (PSU) in the presence of chlorosulfonic acid (ClSO3H). The spectroscopic and elemental analyses confirm the successful sulfonation of PSU. The electrochemical properties of the sample illustrate at high frequency, the resistance is small with slopes of around zero. Cyclic voltammetry affirms a quick ion transfer ability of the host polymer owing to the ion diffusion reaction within the working electrodes. The charge-discharge efficiency of this system exhibits a stable sequence with around 93% efficiency, comparable with many benchmark commercial batteries. The results clearly emphasize that the SPSU can be individually assigned for hydrogen storage. This study will promote the technology of hydrogen sorption on organic polymers.