The well-known frameworks of the type M2(dobdc) (dobdc(4-) = 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) have numerous potential applications in gas storage and separations, owing to their exceptionally high concentration of coordinatively unsaturated metal surface sites, which can interact strongly with small gas molecules such as H2. Employing a related meta-functionalized linker that is readily obtained from resorcinol, we now report a family of structural isomers of this framework, M2(m-dobdc) (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni; m-dobdc(4-) = 4,6-dioxido-1,3-benzenedicarboxylate), featuring exposed M(2+) cation sites with a higher apparent charge density. The regioisomeric linker alters the symmetry of the ligand field at the metal sites, leading to increases of 0.4-1.5 kJ/mol in the H2 binding enthalpies relative to M2(dobdc). A variety of techniques, including powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, infrared spectroscopy, and first-principles electronic structure calculations, are applied in elucidating how these subtle structural and electronic differences give rise to such increases. Importantly, similar enhancements can be anticipated for the gas storage and separation properties of this new family of robust and potentially inexpensive metal-organic frameworks.

Nanoporous adsorbents are a diverse category of solid-state materials that hold considerable promise for vehicular hydrogen storage. Although impressive storage capacities have been demonstrated for several materials, particularly at cryogenic temperatures, materials meeting all of the targets established by the U.S. Department of Energy have yet to be identified. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of the major known and proposed strategies for hydrogen adsorbents, with the aim of guiding ongoing research as well as future new storage concepts. The discussion of each strategy includes current relevant literature, strengths and weaknesses, and outstanding challenges that preclude implementation. We consider in particular metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), including surface area/volume tailoring, open metal sites, and the binding of multiple H 2 molecules to a single metal site. Two related classes of porous framework materials, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs), are also discussed, as are graphene and graphene oxide and doped porous carbons. We additionally introduce criteria for evaluating the merits of a particular materials design strategy. Computation has become an important tool in the discovery of new storage materials, and a brief introduction to the benefits and limitations of computational predictions of H 2 physisorption is therefore presented. Finally, considerations for the synthesis and characterization of hydrogen storage adsorbents are discussed. IntroductionStorage of hydrogen with sufficient gravimetric and volumetric capacity for vehicular use remains a significant obstacle to the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Several FCEV models are now commercially available in limited locations around the world, and in these vehicles hydrogen is stored as a gas at room temperature with a fill Table 1 along with the current performance of 700 bar systems. These values pertain to the entire storage system, which includes the mass and volume of hydrogen in addition to the tank and associated balance-ofplant (BOP) components. Notably, it is physically impossible to meet the 2025 and ultimate volumetric capacity target with pressurized gas, as the density of H 2 gas at 700 bar and room temperature is just 40 g L À1 without accounting for the BOP.The search for solid-state H 2 storage materials that can supplant compressed gas systems has been ongoing for at least two decades. The development of a viable storage material Broader contextThe widespread use of hydrogen as a clean, sustainable energy carrier has the potential to provide several significant benefits, including a reduction in oil dependency and emissions, improved energy security and grid resiliency, and substantial economic opportunities across many sectors. Hydrogen-fueled vehicles are already appearing internationally, and one of the critical enabling technologies for increasing their availability is on-board hydrogen storage. Stakeholders in developing a hydrogen in...