On-going Research Activities
by Prof. A.D. Lueking; Updated November 2008

The Lueking research group is working to probe the underlying chemistry and physics of novel carbon materials and carbon-metal-hydrogen interactions, or hydrogen spillover, in catalyzed carbon composites.  The overarching goal is to develop a hydrogen storage material using fundamental relations rather than an Edisonian approach.  The overall theme is to use metal-assisted carbons as a hydrogen storage medium.  To accomplish this goal, we are working to optimize the carbon 'reservoir', looking at new ways to combine metals and carbon, and developing fundamental engineering models to explore the hydrogen spillover process.  The materials under development will likely have additional applications in adsorption, separations, electrochemical devices, and catalysis.

Background Material:
Introduction to Hydrogen Storage
Introduction to Hydrogen Trapping

Introduction to Hydrogen Spillover
Introduction to NanoCarbon Synthesis

On-going Activities:
“Hydrogen Trapping through Designer Hydrogen Spillover Molecules with Reversible Temperature and Pressure-Induced Switching” (with Prof. Jing Li of Rutgers and Prof. Milton Cole of PSU Physics)

Hydrogen Trapping for Hydrogen Storage (proposal pending; with Badding, Crespi, Eser)

• Lueking, A.D.; Gutierrez, H.R.; Fonseca, D.A.  “Decomposition of hydrogen-modified coal-based structure into hydrogen and nanocrystalline diamond at moderate temperatures and pressures” Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem. 51 (1), 2006.

• Sakti, A.; Clifford, C.E.B.; Lueking, A.D.  “Structural Evolution of Anthracite Coals During Reactive Ball Milling,” Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem. 53 (1), 2008.

Hydrogen Spillover for Hydrogen Storage (Ms. Qixiu Li)

• See. e.g.:  Li, Q.; Lueking, A.D.  “Carbon oxidation to enhance hydrogen storage by hydrogen spillover,” Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem. 53 (2), 2008.

• Li, Q.; Lueking, A.D.  “Evidence for Hydrogen Spillover at Extremely Low Pressure for Pt- and Pd- Supported on Carbon Materials" 2008 AIChE Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA. 

Synthesis and Characterization of Exfoliated Graphite Nanofibers (Kevin Bancroft and Sarmishtha Sircar)

• See, e.g.:  Lueking, A.D., Pan, L.; Narayanan, D.; Clifford, C.E.B. “Exfoliated Graphite Nanofibers for Hydrogen Storage,” Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem. 50 (2), 2005.

Theoretical Studies of Adsorption (with Profs. Milton Cole, Hye-Young Kim, Karl Johnson and Dr. Jacek Jagiello)

• Lueking, A.D.; Cole, M.W. "Novel commensurate phases of gases adsorbed on carbon nanotubes", Phys. Rev. B  75,  195425, 1-8, (2007).

• Gatica, S.M.; Lueking, A. D.; Cole, M. W.; Mahan, G. D.  “Vibrational modes of gases adsorbed on carbon nanotubes”, Phys. Rev. B, 76, 085406 (2007). 

• Kim, H.-Y.; Lueking, A.D.; Gatica, S.M.; Johnson, J.K.; Cole, M.W. “Corresponding states behavior, with quantum deviations, and sieving of gases in pores,”  Molecular Physics, In Press, 2008.

Past Students and Post-docs

Dr. Kofi Adu, (post-doctoral research 2007)

    See also:

• Adu, K.W.; Desai, S.C.S.; Sidorov, A.N.; Sumanasekera, G.U., Lueking, A.D. “Morphological, Structural, and Chemical Effects in Novel Carbide Derived Carbon Sensor Response to NH3, N2O, and air,” Langmuir, In press 2008.

Dr. Dania Fonseca (post-doctoral research 2006-7)

    See also:

• Fonseca, D.A.; Gutierrez, H.R.; Lueking, A.D. “Morphology and porosity enhancement on graphite nanofibers through chemical etching,” Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 113 (1-3), 178-186, 2008.

• Lueking, A.D.; Gutierrez, H.R.; Fonseca, D.A.; Dickey, E. “Structural Characterization of Exfoliated Graphite Nanofibers,” Carbon 45, 751-759, (2007).

• Lueking, A.D.; Gutierrez, H. R.; Fonseca, D. A.; Narayanan, D.; Van Essendelft, D.T.; Jain, P.; Burgess-Clifford, C.E.  “Combined Hydrogen Production and Storage with Subsequent Carbon Crystallization,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128, 7758-7760, (2006).

Apurba Sakti.  MS, Energy & Geo-Environmental Engineering

• MS thesis: "Study of Structural Transformations and Hydrogen Evolution from a Ball-Milled Anthracite Coal," Completed 2008.

• Currently Studying Engineering Policy at Central European University

• Sakti, A.; Wonderling, N.M.; Burgess-Clifford, C.E.; Badding, J.V. Lueking, A.D. “Role of Carbon Order on Structural Transformations and Hydrogen Evolution Induced by Reactive Ball Milling in Cyclohexene,” Journal of Physical Chemistry C, In Press 2008.

Puja Jain.  MS, Fuel Science

• MS thesis: "Catalyzed Nanocarbons for Hydrogen Storage:  Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Spillover Phenomenon," Completed 2006.

• Currently a Process Engineer at Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

• Jain, P.; Fonseca, D.A. Schaible, E.; Lueking, A.D.  “Hydrogen Uptake of Platinum Doped Graphite Nanofibers and Stochastic Analysis of Hydrogen Spillover,” J. Phys. Chem. C 111, 1788-1800, (2007).

• Lueking A.D.;  Gutierrez, H.R.; Jain, P.; Van Essendelft, D.; Burgess-Clifford, C.E. “The effect of HCl and NaOH treatment on structural transformations in a ball-milled anthracite after thermal and chemical processing”, Carbon, 45, 2297-2306, 2007.

• Lueking, A.D.; Gutierrez, H. R.; Fonseca, D. A.; Narayanan, D.; Van Essendelft, D.T.; Jain, P.; Burgess-Clifford, C.E.  “Combined Hydrogen Production and Storage with Subsequent Carbon Crystallization,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128, 7758-7760, (2006).

Deepa Narayanan. MS, Fuel Science

• MS thesis: "Exploratory Study of Exfoliated Graphite Nanofibers and Milled Anthracite-Metal Composites for Hydrogen Storage",  Completed 2006

• Currently an Associate Engineer at Puget Sound Energy, Kirkland, Washington, U.S.A.

• Narayanan, D.; Lueking A.D. “Mechanically Milled Coal and Magnesium Composites for Hydrogen Storage”, Carbon 45, 805-820, (2007).

• Lueking, A.D.; Gutierrez, H. R.; Fonseca, D. A.; Narayanan, D.; Van Essendelft, D.T.; Jain, P.; Burgess-Clifford, C.E.  “Combined Hydrogen Production and Storage with Subsequent Carbon Crystallization,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128, 7758-7760, (2006).

Our research facilities include:
High-Pressure Gravimetric Analyzer (Hiden IGA-003)
In-line Mass Spectrometry for high-pressure TG-MS
Carbon Material Synthesis
High-Pressure Differential Sieverts Apparatus

Low-pressure volumetric physisorption and chemisorption (Micromeritics 2020)