Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have found that atomic disorder in some boron-based hydrogen storage systems has the potential to improve hydrogen absorption.

Metal boride surfaces and their single-layer variants – known as borophins – are generally thought to present a regular arrangement of atoms at low and moderate temperatures. In many cases, the LLNL team proved that these atoms are actually dynamically random: a miraculous phenomenon that differs from the traditional understanding of how most solid-state surfaces work. Surface irregularity means that each atomic site has different local properties. According to team research, some of these sites can be decomposed Hydrogen Molecules are easy, which is expected to accelerate the activation of the material during hydrogen storage.

The findings also have implications for other applications. In addition to hydrogen storage, metal borides and borophynes can be used as coatings for superconductivity, electrocatalysis, optoelectronics, and thermal and corrosion resistance. In many of these applications, the specific boron surface atom settings play a major role in determining the overall performance.

When hydrogen storage, superconducting performance, and electrocatalytic reactions are performed on the silicone design of materials closely related to their surface configuration, comparisons of apple and orange occur if the assumption of static and ordered surfaces does not actually exist.

“What we have found here is an extraordinary example. The surfaces of a crystalline material are actually amorphous and dynamic. A paper appears Natural communication.

“If the surfaces are glassy and orderly, all sites are essentially the same. Irregular surfaces create a whole range of surface functions. -Artist Brandon Wood said. Storage.

Other LLNL authors include Keith Ray, Pengao Xiao, Shin Young Kang, Alexander Baker, and Jonathan Lee.