Molecular-dynamics analysis of the diffusion of molecular hydrogen in all-silica sodalite

Abstract
In order to investigate the technical feasibility of crystalline porous silicates as hydrogen storage materials, the self-diffusion of molecular hydrogen in all-silica sodalite is modeled using large-scale classical molecular-dynamics simulations employing full lattice flexibility. In the temperature range of 700–1200 K, the diffusion coefficient is found to range from 1.6?10?10 to 1.8?10?9?m2/s. The energy barrier for hydrogen diffusion is determined from the simulations allowing the application of transition state theory, which, together with the finding that the pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius-type equation for the hopping rate is temperature-independent, enables extrapolation of our results to lower temperatures. Estimates based on mass penetration theory calculations indicate a promising hydrogen uptake rate at 573 K