Experimental validation of solid hydrogen phases in porous materials via neutron diffraction

Metallic hydrogen has long been theorised to be a close-to-room temperature superconductor, but is only predicted to form at GPa pressures. Instead of using extremely high pressures to form a metallic solid, molecular confinement of H2 via adsorption in optimally sized nanopores is a promising alternative. These experiments will utilize neutron diffraction to experimentally validate the results of our preliminary Raman studies, which indicate the presence of a hexagonal crystalline high pressure phase of hydrogen in a porous carbon. Neutron diffraction data on crystalline phases of the solid hydrogen present at a range of gas pressures could lead to definitive experimental evidence for the predicted high pressure phases of hydrogen, and may demonstrate pre-densification of hydrogen via nanoconfinement as a route to forming otherwise unobtainable high pressure hydrogen phases.