Carbon nanotube films produced on a Si(1 0 0) substrate without any metal catalyst were used as electrodes in galvanic cells. The electrochemical mechanism of hydrogen evolution, storage and oxidation was studied using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic polarisation. Cyclic voltammetry showed that hydrogen is easily produced on the carbon nanotube surface, but a significant overvoltage was observed for hydrogen oxidation. The kinetics of hydrogen evolution influenced the quantity of hydrogen stored in the nanotube, which increased with increasing discharge currents. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.