Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Hydrogen Barrier Performance of Modified Polyamide 6 Lining of IV Hydrogen Storage Tank with Graphene

Abstract

The polymer liner of the hydrogen storage cylinder was studied to investigate better hydrogen storage capacity in Type-IV cylinders. Molecular dynamics methods were used to simulate the adsorption and diffusion processes of hydrogen in a graphene-filled polyamide 6 (PA6) system. The solubility and diffusion characteristics of hydrogen in PA6 systems filled with different filler ratios (3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 6 wt%, and 7 wt%) were studied under working pressures (0.1 MPa, 35 MPa, 52 MPa, and 70 MPa). The effects of filler ratio, temperature, and pressure on hydrogen diffusion were analyzed. The results show that at atmospheric pressure when the graphene content reaches 5 wt%, its permeability coefficient is as low as 2.44 × 10−13 cm3·cm/(cm2·s·Pa), which is a 54.6% reduction compared to PA6. At 358 K and 70 MPa, the diffusion coefficient of the 5 wt% graphene/PA6 composite system is 138% higher than that at 298 K and 70 MPa. With increasing pressure, the diffusion coefficients of all materials generally decrease linearly. Among them, pure PA6 has the largest diffusion coefficient, while the 4 wt% graphene/PA6 composite system has the smallest diffusion coefficient. Additionally, the impact of FFV (free volume fraction) on the barrier properties of the material was studied, and the movement trajectory of H2 in the composite system was analyzed.

Keywords

• polyamide 6
• graphene
• hydrogen diffusion
• molecular dynamics
• free volume