Patent ID: 8518856

Claim:
A solid-state hydrogen storage material comprising: a porous matrix comprising atoms of a first element capable of bonding with more than one hydrogen atom per atom of the first element, the atoms of the first element being molecularly arranged within the porous matrix so that first atoms of the first element have more bond sites than second atoms of the first element and the bond sites of the first atoms have lower levels of bonding energy than the bond sites of the second atoms; hydrogen atoms adsorbed to the first atoms of the first element; and atoms of a second element covalently bonded to the second atoms of the first element distributed within the porous, the second element being chosen from the group consisting of noble metals and transition metals; wherein the atoms of the second element are covalently bonded to the second atoms of the first element by: fully hydrogenating the porous matrix with the hydrogen atoms so that the hydrogen atoms are adsorbed to the first atoms of the first element within the porous matrix and other hydrogen atoms are adsorbed to the second atoms of the first element within the porous matrix, the bond sites of the second atoms having lower bond energies than the bond sites of the first atoms of the first element; removing the other hydrogen atoms from the second atoms of the first element without removing the hydrogen atoms bonded to the first atoms of the first element at higher bond energies; and then covalently bonding the atoms of the second element to the second atoms of the first element distributed within the porous matrix and from which the other hydrogen atoms were removed.