Hydrogen Adsorption in Metal–Organic Frameworks: Cu‐MOFs and Zn‐MOFs Compared

Abstract Hydrogen adsorption in two different metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), MOF‐5 and Cu‐BTC (BTC: benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxylate), with Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ as central metal ions, respectively, is investigated at temperatures ranging from 77 K to room temperature. The process responsible for hydrogen storage in these MOFs is pure physical adsorption with a heat of adsorption of approximately –4 kJ mol –1 . With a saturation value of 5.1 wt.‐% for the hydrogen uptake at high pressures and 77 K, MOF‐5 shows the highest storage capacity ever reported for crystalline microporous materials. However, at low pressures Cu‐BTC shows a higher hydrogen uptake than MOF‐5, making Cu‐based MOFs more promising candidates for…