Apparatus and method for hydrogen generation from gaseous hydride

Abstract

An apparatus and method including storage and dispensing vessels to safely store and dispense gaseous hydrides, where the storage and dispensing vessels contain a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a physically sorptive affinity for gaseous hydrides, and wherein the gaseous hydride is decomposed in the apparatus to generate hydrogen gas. The gaseous hydrides include, but are not limited to, silane, germane, stibine and diborane. The gaseous hydrides decompose spontaneously and/or decomposition is enhanced using surface modified adsorbents. The hydrogen generated by the apparatus may be used in a fuel cell or other hydrogen gas consuming unit.

1 . A phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium. 
     
     
         2 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 1 , comprising a carbon adsorbent. 
     
     
         3 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 1 , which is effective to decompose a gaseous hydride to produce hydrogen gas. 
     
     
         4 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 3 , wherein the gaseous hydride is selected from the group consisting of silane, germane, stibine, ammonia, boranes, hydrocarbons, and Group IVA-VIA hydrides. 
     
     
         5 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 3 , wherein the gaseous hydride is selected from the group consisting of silane, germane, stibine, and boranes. 
     
     
         6 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 1 , which is effective to decompose silane to produce hydrogen gas. 
     
     
         7 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 3 , which is adsorptive of the gaseous hydride. 
     
     
         8 . The phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 1 , which when silane has been adsorbed thereon is effective after 2 days at STP conditions to produce more than 40 cubic centimeters of hydrogen gas per gram of silane adsorbed on the adsorbent. 
     
     
         8 . A gas supply vessel containing the phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         9 . The gas supply vessel of  claim 8 , further containing a gaseous hydride decomposable by the phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium to generate hydrogen. 
     
     
         10 . The gas supply vessel of  claim 9 , further comprising a hydrogen permselective membrane arranged to separate hydrogen from the gaseous hydride. 
     
     
         11 . The gas supply vessel of  claim 9 , wherein the gaseous hydride comprises silane. 
     
     
         12 . A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell and the phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . The fuel cell system of  claim 12 , wherein the phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium comprises a carbon adsorbent arranged to generate hydrogen for the fuel cell from a gaseous hydride. 
     
     
         14 . A method of generating hydrogen, comprising contacting a phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium with a gaseous hydride to produce hydrogen gas. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising flowing the hydrogen gas to a fuel cell. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the phosphoric acid-doped sorbent medium comprises a carbon adsorbent. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said contacting is carried out in a gas supply vessel. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the gaseous hydride is selected from the group consisting of silane, germane, stibine, ammonia, boranes, hydrocarbons, and Group IVA-VIA hydrides. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the gaseous hydride is selected from the group consisting of silane, germane, stibine, and boranes. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the gaseous hydride comprises silane.