Hydrogen storage remains as a major challenge to the future hydrogen economy. Among the existing methods, pressurized containers are the closest to practical applications. However, their safety concerns, stringent material requirements and high costs are difficult to fulfill simultaneously. Instead of single chamber cylinders, multiple cell structures are proposed here. It is found that such structures offer not only improved safety but also extra storage capacity. This may lead to the practical design and manufacturing of compact hydrogen storage devices that are suitable for portable fuel cell applications, even without employing costly materials. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.