Experimental Evaluation of Ammonium Formate as a Potential Hydrogen Storage Option

Electrochemical energy conversion systems are recognized as sustainable options for clean power generation. In conjunction with this, the current hydrogen storage methods often suffer from limited storage density, stability, or high cost, which motivate the search for alternative fuels with improved performance. This study is designed to investigate ammonium formate as an effective hydrogen storage medium and an efficient electrochemical fuel in electrochemical energy conversion systems. In order to perform the experimental tests, stainless steel-stainless steel and aluminum-stainless steel electrode pairs are selected and examined under varying concentrations of potassium hydroxide, sodium chloride, and hydrogen peroxide at 80 ◦C, and the system responses are then evaluated through voltage–time monitoring and polarization curve analysis. The aluminum-stainless steel configuration achieves the highest performance under 0.1 M potassium hydroxide and 10 % hydrogen peroxide, reaching the voltages near ~ 900 mV and current densities of ~ 340 mA cm− 2 ; and the sodium chloride systems produce up to ~ 820 mV and ~ 310 mA cm− 2 , while higher additive levels result in decreasing the voltages below 500 mV due to losses and side reactions. These findings confirm that moderate additive concentrations and optimized electrode pairing significantly enhance efficiency, positioning ammonium formate as a low-cost, energy-dense fuel suitable for decentralized and portable applications.