Separation of Hydrogen and Graphite from Natural Gas Through Nickel Atomic Lattice
Abstract
ABSTRACT The sustainable use of fossil fuels requires simultaneous efficient utilization of both energy and matter. Traditional fossil fuel processes primarily harvest energy through combustion, leaving much of the matter—especially carbon—unexploited and released in the form of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide). Here, we develop an atomic lattice separation method using a nickel foam‐nickel foil structure to simultaneously extract both energy and matter from natural gas with high efficiency. In this design, hydrogen in natural gas is catalytically converted to hydrogen gas on nickel foam, while carbon is transformed into crystalline graphite via transport through the atomic lattice of nickel foil. This approach achieved efficient (> 99% conversion), stable (≥ 300 h stability), and reusable (≥ 5 cycles) hydrogen gas generation, coupled with the production of high‐value graphite with an ultrahigh crystal quality and superior thermal and electrical properties. Further integration with a solid oxide fuel cell system demonstrated an electricity generation efficiency of ∼57%. This strategy establishes a sustainable pathway for separating energy (hydrogen) and matter (graphite) from hydrocarbons, thus providing new opportunities for high‐efficiency and zero‐emission natural gas utilization.
Article Details
Authors (17)
Mengze Zhao
State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Frontiers Science Centre for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Zhibin Zhang
State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Frontiers Science Centre for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Cong Wang
Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066
Peng Feng
Kuan Yang
Mingchao Ding
Yuheng Jiang
Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry
Quanlin Guo
State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Frontiers Science Centre for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Meng Wang
Muhong Wu
Interdisciplinary Institute of Light‐Element Quantum Materials and Research Center For Light‐Element Advanced Materials Peking University Beijing China
Guangyu Zhang
Xin‐Zheng Li
State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics Frontiers Science Center For Nano‐optoelectronics School of Physics Peking University Beijing China
Zhiyong Tang
CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication
Ding Ma
Zhipeng Li
Beijing Huairou Laboratory
Enge Wang
Interdisciplinary Institute of Light-Element Quantum Materials and Research Centre for Light-Element Advanced Materials, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Kaihui Liu