Original scientific paper
Mechano-chemical synthesis of nanostructured hydride composites based on Li-Al-N-Mg for solid state hydrogen storage
Robert A. Varin
; Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
Leszek Zbroniec
; Wroclaw Research Centre EIT+, Wroclaw, Poland
Minchul Jang
; Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
Abstract
It is observed that large quantities of hydrogen (H2) are released at ambient temperatures during the mechano-chemical synthesis of the Li-Al-N-Mg-based hydride composites using an energetic ball milling
in a unique magneto-mill. For the (nLiAlH4+LiNH2; n=1, 3, 11.5, 30) composite, at the molar ratio n=1, the LiNH2 constituent destabilizes LiAlH4 and enhances its decomposition to Li3AlH6, Al and H2, and
subsequently Li3AlH6 to LiH, Al and H2. LiNH2 ceases to destabilize LiAlH4 in the composites with increasing molar content of LiAlH4 (n≥3). For the (nLiAlH4+MnCl2; n=1, 3, 8, 13, 30, 63) composite, XRD phase analysis shows that chemical reaction occurs during ball milling between the hydride and chloride constituent forming either an inverse cubic spinel Li2MnCl4 for n=1 or lithium salt (LiCl) for n>1. Both reactions release hydrogen. For the (LiNH2+nMgH2; n=1, 1.5) composite the pathway of hydride reactions depends on the milling energy and milling time. Under low milling energy up to 25h there is either no reaction (1h) or the reaction products are amorphous Mg(NH2)2 (magnesium amide) and nanocrystalline
LiH (lithium hydride) without any release of hydrogen. Under high milling energy a new hydride MgNH (magnesium imide) is formed due to reaction between Mg(NH2)2 and MgH2 which is always associated with the release of H2.
Keywords
hydrogen energy; solid state hydrogen storage; ball milling; hydrogen discharge
Hrčak ID:
74931
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2011.
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