Improvement in hydrogen storage performance of Mg by mechanical grinding with molten salt etching Ti3C2Clx

Mg-based materials are currently a hot research topic as hydrogen storage materials due to their considerable theoretical hydrogen storage capacity. However, the kinetic performance of hydrogen absorption and desorption of Mg is too slow and requires high temperature, which seriously hinders the application of this material. MXene is a new type of two-dimensional material with significant role in improving thermodynamics and kinetics. In this experiment, a two-dimensional layered MXene containing Cl functional group was prepared by molten salt etching using the Ti-containing MAX phase as the raw material. Then different ratios of Ti₃C₂Cl_x were uniformly dispersed onto the surface of Mg by high energy ball milling. The samples were characterized by hydrogen absorption and desorption kinetics, SEM, XRD, XPS, and DSC to investigate the effect of Ti₃C₂Cl_x on the hydrogen absorption and desorption performance of Mg. The onset hydrogen absorption temperature can be reduced to room temperature and the hydrogen release temperature is reduced by 200 ​°C by doping Ti₃C₂Cl_x. And there is also 5.4 ​wt% hydrogen storage in the isothermal hydrogen absorption test at 400 ​°C. The results of DSC demonstrate that the E_a of Mg+15 ​wt% Ti₃C₂Cl_x was reduced by 12.6% compared to pristine Mg. The ΔH is almost invariable. The results of XPS show that the presence of multivalent Ti promotes electron transfer and thus improves the conversion between Mg²⁺/Mg and H⁻/H. This study provides a guideline for further improving the hydrogen absorption and desorption performance of Mg-based hydrogen storage materials.     

Enhanced hydrogen storage properties of NaBH4–Mg(BH4)2 composites by NdF3 addition

As two important members of complex hydrides, Mg(BH₄)₂ and NaBH₄ have a high gravimetric capacity (14.9 and 10.8 ​wt%, respectively). In this study, the Mg(BH₄)₂ was synthesized by the ion exchange method. Afterwards, the Mg(BH₄)₂ and NaBH₄ composites with different amounts (30, 40 and 50 ​wt%) of NdF₃ were prepared by mechanical milling. Effects of the NdF₃ on the microstructural evolution and hydrogen storage properties were investigated. The results show that NdF₃ catalyst can significantly improve the dehydrogenation kinetics of the eutectic composites of NaBH₄–Mg(BH₄)₂. The onset hydrogen desorption temperature of the composites is about 88.6 ​°C, which is about 110 ​°C lower than that of Mg(BH₄)₂ and NaBH₄ composites. Mg(BH₄)₂–NaBH₄-0.5NdF₃ composites can released 5.2 ​wt% H₂ at 250 ​°C within 30 ​min, and the dehydrogenation capacity is significantly higher than that of Mg(BH₄)₂–NaBH₄ composites. The analysis of the dehydrogenation mechanism reveals that NdF₃ takes participate in the reaction to generate NaMgF₃ to promote the dehydrogenation reaction process of the composites.     

Current Research Progress in Magnesium Borohydride for Hydrogen Storage (A review)

Hydrogen storage in solid-state materials is believed to be a most promising hydrogen-storage technology for high efficiency, low risk and low cost. Mg(BH₄)₂ is regarded as one of most potential materials in hydrogen storage areas in view of its high hydrogen capacities (14.9 ​wt% and 145–147 ​kg ​cm⁻³). However, the drawbacks of Mg(BH₄)₂ including high desorption temperatures (about 250 ​°C–580 ​°C), sluggish kinetics, and poor reversibility make it difficult to be used for onboard hydrogen storage of fuel cell vehicles. A lot of researches on improving the dehydrogenation reaction thermodynamics and kinetics have been done, mainly including: additives or catalysts doping, nanoconfining Mg(BH₄)₂ in nanoporous hosts, forming reactive hydrides systems, multi-cation/anion composites or other derivatives of Mg(BH₄)₂. Some favorable results have been obtained. This review provides an overview of current research progress in magnesium borohydride, including: synthesis methods, crystal structures, decomposition behaviors, as well as emphasized performance improvements for hydrogen storage.     

Hydrogen storage performance of LaNi3.95Al0.75Co0.3 alloy with different preparation methods

Rare-earth AB₅-type La–Ni–Al hydrogen storage alloys are widely studied due to their extensive application potentials in hydrogen isotope storage, hydrogen isotope isolation and hydrogen compressors, etc. Good hydriding/dehydriding kinetics, easily activation, high reversibility are important factors for their practical application. However, their overall hydrogen storage performance, especially plateau pressure and hydrogen absorption/desorption durability need to be further optimized. In this study, the microstructures and the hydrogen storage properties of as-cast, annealed, and melt-spun LaNi_3.95Al_0.75Co_0.3 alloys were investigated. The experimental results of XRD and SEM showed that all alloys contained a pure CaCu₅ type hexagonal structure LaNi₄Al phase. The cell volume increased in an order of annealed ?> ?melt-spun ?> ?as-cast, resulting in a lower hydrogen absorption/desorption plateau pressure and a more stable hydride phase. The hydrogen storage capacity of three alloys was almost the same. The slope factor of the annealed and melt-spun alloys is smaller than the as-cast alloy, indicating that heat-treatment process can make the alloys more uniform. For the cycle stability of the alloys, the hydrogen absorption rate of the annealed alloy and melt-spun alloy was much faster than that of the as-cast alloy after 500 cycles. The melt-spun alloy showed high pulverization resistance during hydrogen absorption/desorption, and exhibited an excellent cycling retention of 99% after 500 cycles, suggesting that melt-spinning process can enhance the cycle stability and improve the cycle life of the alloy.     

Hydrogen absorption-desorption characteristic of (Ti0.85Zr0.15)1.1Cr1-xMoxMn based alloys with C14 Laves phase

The microstructure and hydrogen absorption-desorption characteristic of (Ti_0.85Zr_0.15)_1.1Cr_1-xMo_xMn (x ?= ?0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 ?at.%) alloys were investigated. The results showed that the corresponding alloys were determined as a single phase of C14-type Laves structure. With the increase of Mo content, the maximum and reversible hydrogen absorption capacity decreased, the slope factor H_f increased. Among the studied alloys, (Ti_0.85Zr_0.15)_1.1Cr_0.95Mo_0.05Mn had the best overall properties for practical application of hydrogen storage materials. The maximum and reversible hydrogen storage capacity were 1.76 ?wt% and 1.09 ?wt%, the slope factor H_f was 0.51, and its dissociation enthalpy (ΔH_d) and entropy change (ΔS_d) were 23.1 ?kJ ?mol^?1H₂, 93.8J ?K^?1mol^?1H₂ at 303K, respectively. By studying the dissociation pressures of the synthesized metal hydrides, it was found that Mo had a special effect on the dissociation pressure of Ti–Zr–Cr–Mo–Mn alloys. Among the four alloys, (Ti_0.85Zr_0.15)_1.1Cr_0.95Mo_0.05Mn alloy had the largest hydrogen absorption capacity and the fastest hydrogen desorption rate, which can meet the commercialization demand of hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen supply system.     

Rational design of MnS nanoparticles anchored on N,S-codoped carbon matrix as anode for lithium-ion batteries

The manganese sulfide (MnS) has attracted more attention as anode material on energy storage and conversion field, owing to its high theoretical capacity (616 ​mA ​h ​g⁻¹) and good electrochemical activity. However, low electronic conductivity and large volume expansion during charge-discharge processes have limited its further application. In order to address above mentioned problems, the composites, MnS nanoparticles embedded in N,S-codoped porous carbon skeleton (named as MnS/N,S–C composites), herein have been prepared successfully using metal organic framework (Mn-NTA) as template. The porous carbon skeleton not only can enhance electrode conductivity, but also relieve volume expansion during charge-discharge processes. Thus, the rational design towards electrode architectures has endowed MnS/N,S–C nanocomposites with superior electrochemical performance, which delivers the specific capacities of 676.7 ​mA ​h ​g⁻¹ at the current density of 100 ​mA ​g⁻¹.     

One-step uniform growth of magnesium hydride nanoparticles on graphene

A simple solvent-free method to synthesize MgH2 nanoparticles (MgH2 NPs) uniformly grown on graphene nanosheets (GNs) has been reported in this paper. Based on the formation of MgH2 by di-n-butylmagnesium ((C4H9)2Mg) thermal decomposition under hydrogen pressure, the GNs were added as matrix to hinder the agglomeration and growing of MgH2 NPs. The fabricated MgH2/GNs nanocomposites, in which MgH2 NPs were homogenously growing in the graphene matrix, have been synthesized by the favorable adsorption energy between (C4H9)2Mg and GNs. Resulting from the one-step solvent-free route, the generated MgH2 NPs shows high hydrogen capacity and steady hydriding and dehydriding properties, without the interference of the synthetic medium. At the same time, the size of the fabricated MgH2 NPs can be controlled by adjusting the mass ratio of MgH2 to graphene, the various hydrogen pressure and temperature. Attributed to smaller size effect, well uniform distribution of high density MgH2 NPs, and the agglomeration blocking ability of graphene, the MgH2/GNs-40 wt% exhibits the favorite hydrogen storage performance.     

Influence of heat exchanger structure on hydrogen absorption-desorption performance of hydrogen storage vessel

The influence of heat exchanger structure on hydrogen absorption-desorption performance of hydrogen storage vessel was studied, in which the AB₅ (La_0.25Ce_0.75Ni_4.4Al_0.1Mn_0.1Co_0.4) hydrogen storage alloy was used as a typical representative. In order to obtain the data on reaction enthalpy, the PCT curve of the alloy was measured with three different temperatures, and the linear fitting was carried out according to the Van't Hoff relation curve. The SMCR (Spiral-mini-channel Reactor) reactor structure was adopted. The heat transfer method and its simplified model were studied by finite element method to explore the effect of size of heat transfer structure, particularly for heat pipe diameter, on the hydrogen absorption-desorption performance of hydrogen storage alloy in the vessel.     

Synergetic effect of multiple phases on hydrogen desorption kinetics and cycle durability in ball milled MgH2–PrF3–Al–Ni composite

A new MgH₂–PrF₃–Al–Ni composite was prepared by ball milling under hydrogen atmosphere. After initial dehydrogenation and rehydrogenation, Pr₃Al₁₁, MgF₂, PrH₃ and Mg₂NiH₄ nanoparticles formed accompanying the main phase MgH₂. The hydrogen absorption-desorption properties were measured by using a Sieverts-type apparatus. The results showed that the MgH₂–PrF₃–Al–Ni composite improved cycle stability and enhanced hydrogen desorption kinetics. The improvement of hydrogen absorption-desorption properties is ascribed to the synergetic effect of the in situ formed Pr₃Al₁₁, MgF₂, PrH₃ and Mg₂NiH₄ nanoparticles. This work provides an important inspiration for the improvement of hydrogen storage properties in Mg-based materials.     

Reversible hydrogenation of AB2-type Zr–Mg–Ni–V based hydrogen storage alloys

The development of hydrogen energy is hindered by the lack of high-efficiency hydrogen storage materials. To explore new high-capacity hydrogen storage alloys, reversible hydrogen storage in AB₂-type alloy is realized by using A or B-side elemental substitution. The substitution of small atomic-radius element Zr and Mg on A-side of YNi₂ and partial substitution of large atomic-radius element V on B-side of YNi₂ alloy was investigated in this study. The obtained ZrMgNi₄, ZrMgNi₃V, and ZrMgNi₂V₂ alloys remained single Laves phase structure at as-annealed, hydrogenated and dehydrogenated states, indicating that the hydrogen-induced amorphization and disproportionation was eliminated. From ZrMgNi₄ to ZrMgNi₂V₂ with the increase of the degree of vanadium substitution, the reversible hydrogen storage capacity increased from 0.6 ?wt% (0.35H/M) to 1.8 ?wt% (1.0H/M), meanwhile the lattice stability gradually increased. The ZrMgNi₂V₂ alloy could absorb 1.8 ?wt% hydrogen in about 2 ?h ?at 300 ?K under 4 ?MPa H₂ pressure and reversibly desorb the absorbed hydrogen in approximately 30 ?min ?at 473 ?K without complicated activation process. The prominent properties of ZrMgNi₂V₂ elucidate its high potential for hydrogen storage application.     

Multiple metallic dopants in nickel nanoparticles for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Developing efficient oxygen evolution reaction(OER) electrocatalysts is of great importance for sustainable energy conversion and storage. Ni-based catalysts have shown great potential as OER electrocatalysts, but their performance still needs to be improved. Herein, we report the multiple metal doped nickel nanoparticles synthesized via a simple oil phase strategy as efficient OER catalysts. The FeMnMoV–Ni exhibits superior OER performance with an overpotential of 220 mV at 10 mA cm^-2     

Pd–Ni–P metallic glass nanoparticles for nonenzymatic glucose sensing

Metallic glass nanoparticles hold great promise as nonenzymatic glucose sensors due to their rich low-coordinated active sites and high biocompatibility. However,their non-periodic atomic structure and unclear structure-property relationship pose significant challenges for realizing and optimizing their sensing performance. In this work, Pd–Ni–P metallic glass nanoparticles with variable compositions were successfully prepared as nonenzymatic glucose sensors via a laser-evaporated inertgas conde...     

笼型Li6Si5团簇的结构和储氢性能研究

利用密度泛函M06方法,在6-311+G(d, p)基组水平上对Si_5和Li修饰的Si_5团簇的几何结构和电子性质及储氢性能进行理论计算研究.结果表明, Si_5团簇最低能量构型为笼型结构,纯Si_5团簇不能有效吸附氢分子. Li原子的引入显著改善了Si_5团簇的储氢能力.以六个Li原子穴位修饰Si_5团簇为载体,每个Li原子周围可以有效吸附三个氢分子,其氢分子的平均吸附能为2.395 kcal/mol,储氢密度可达16.617 wt%.合适的吸附能和较高储氢密度表明Li修饰Si_5团簇有望成为理想的储氢材料.     

Li3N film modified separator with homogenization effect of lithium ions for stable lithium metal battery

Lithium metal anode with high theoretical capacity is considered to be one of the most potential anode materials of the next generation. However, the growth of lithium dendrite seriously affects the application of lithium metal anode and the development of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Herein, an ultrathin Li₃N film modified separator to homogenize the lithium ions and protect the lithium metal anode was reported. Due to the intrinsic properties of Li₃N, the functional separator possessed good thermal stability, mechanical properties and electrolyte wettability, and the homogenization of the lithium ion was realized without increasing the interface impedance. With this functional separator, the Li/Li symmetrical cell could achieve a long cycle with low overpotential for 1000 ​h at a current density of 1 ​mA ​cm⁻². Furthermore, when the full battery was assembled with LiFePO₄ and the discharge capacity could be maintained at 151 mAh g⁻¹ after 400 cycles at 1 ​C. In addition, the full battery also showed good rate performance, and provided a high discharge capacity of 114 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 ​C.     

FeCo-based mesoporous carbon shells modified N-doped porous carbon spheres for oxygen reduction reaction

FeCo-based non-noble metal electrocatalysts (NNMEs) of FeCo/MCS-NPCS was fabricated by immobilization of hemin on mesoporous carbon shells modified N-doped porous carbon spheres (MCS-NPCS). The obtained FeCo/MCS-NPCS exhibits a half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.851 ​V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE) and a limited-diffusion current density (J_L) of 5.45 ​mA ​cm⁻². In addition, FeCo/MCS-NPCS shows comparable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performances to 20 ​wt% Pt/C in terms of E_1/2 and J_L and better electrochemical properties, including the methanol tolerance and durability in alkaline solution. Such outstanding electrochemical activities of FeCo/MCS-NPCS can be ascribed to Fe and/or Co-based nitrides and carbides as well as N-doped carbon matrixes modified with mesoporous carbon shells. This research introduces a promising path to design and synthesize highly efficient FeCo–N–C electrocatalysts towards ORR.     

Recent advances in improving performances of the lightweight complex hydrides Li-Mg-N-H system

A brief review of state-of-the art advances in improving performances of the lightweight complex hydrides Li-Mg-N-H system is reported. Among the hydrogen storage materials, Li-Mg-N-H combination systems are regarded as one of the most potential candidates for the vehicular applications owing to their high hydrogen storage capacity (>5 wt% H) and a more appropriate thermodynamic properties of hydrogen absorption and desorption. In the Li-Mg-N-H systems, tremendous efforts have been devoted to improving the hydrogen storage properties by adjusting composition, revealing reaction mechanisms, adding catalysts and refining the microstructures, etc. During the studies, different mechanisms, such as the coordinated two-molecule or multimolecule reaction mechanism and the ammonia-mediated mechanism, are proposed and applied under some certain conditions. Catalysis and nanosizing are very effective in enhancing the kinetic properties and thermodynamic destabilization of Li-Mg-N-H systems. Due to nano effects, the space-confinement and nanoconfinement seems to be more effective for improving the hydrogen storage performance, and it is great significant to develop hydrogen storage materials by studying the nanoconfined effects on the Li-Mg-N-H systems.     

Hydrogen storage and low-temperature electrochemical performances of A2B7 type La-Mg-Ni-Co-Al-Mo alloys

The effect of Mo-addition on hydrogen storage and low-temperature electrochemical performances of La-Mg-Ni-Co-Al alloys is investigated. The alloys were synthetized via vacuum induction melting followed by annealing treatment at 1123 K for 8 h. The major phases in the annealed alloys are consisted of (La, Mg)2Ni7, (La, Mg)5Ni19 and LaNi5 phases. Mo-addition facilitates phase transformation of LaNi5 into (La, Mg)2Ni7 and (La, Mg)5Ni19 phases. Hydrogen absorption/desorption PCI curves indicates that the hydrogen storage capacity of the alloy increases remarkably with the addition of Mo. Furthermore, the La0.75Mg0.25Ni3.05Co0.2Al0.05Mo0.2 alloy shows excellent hydriding/dehydriding kinetics with a higher capacity, requiring only 100 s to reach its saturated hydrogen capacity of 1.58 wt% at low temperature of 303 K, and releasing 1.57 wt% hydrogen within 400 s at 338 K. Electrochemical experiments manifest that the Mo-added alloy electrode has perfect activation properties and the maximum discharge capacity. The low-temperature dischargeability shows that the La0.75Mg0.25Ni3.05Co0.2Al0.05Mo0.2 alloy exhibits the excellent low-temperature discharge performance, and the maximum discharge capacity is improved from 231.0 to 334.6 mAh/g at 253 K. The HRD property of the alloy electrode is enhanced, suggesting that Mo enhances the kinetic ability at low-temperature.     

程序升温还原和定温吸附法研究负载钯催化剂中的金属—载体强相互作用

以不同载体的钯催化剂来研究金属——载体之间的强相互作用(SMSI)。利用程序升温还原法(TPR)和定温吸附(TRS)相结合的技术来研究这些催化剂的还原情况和对氢的吸附情况。发现钯在低于200℃时就被还原。在较高温度下氢从Pd到载体有溢流,高温氢处理也会导致SMSI和熔结现象。这些溢流、熔结和SMSI的程度决定于载体。而SMSI也抑制着Pd对氢的大量吸附。在相同还原条件下,负载Pd催化剂有下列熔结趋势:Pd/C>Pd>TiO_2>Pd/Al_2O_3>Pd/SiO_2。     

Flexible free-standing polyaniline/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite electrode with good capacitance performance and shape memory behavior

The increasing demand for portable and flexible energy storage devices drives the development of flexible electrodes and electrolytes. The aim of this work is to fabricate the flexible free-standing polyaniline/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PANI/PVA) composite electrode with good capacitance performance and shape memory behavior. The electrodes were fabricated by chemical oxidation polymerization of aniline in porous PVA (P-PVA) films. The morphology, electrochemical and mechanical properties of PANI/P-PVA electrodes were studied by scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and tensile test etc. The results revealed that the flexible PANI/P-PVA-1 electrode had good specific capacitance of 173.86 ​mF ​cm⁻² at 1 ​mA ​cm⁻², with the capacitance retention of 70.16% after 4000 charge-discharge cycles. Besides, it had excellent heat-induced shape memory effect. The fixed shape could completely recover to its original shape within 10 ​s at 80 ​°C, which is above the glass transition temperature (75.89 ​°C) of PANI/P-PVA-1. The comparatively tensile strength (2.86 ​MPa) and high elongation at break (315.72%) indicated its outstanding flexibility. Up to 200 times folding had no effect on the electrochemical properties. The free-standing polymer electrodes with excellent comprehensive performance provide potential applications in flexible energy-storage devices, electronic encapsulation and high stretchable electric devices etc.     

Study on the hydrogen storage property of (TiZr0.1)xCr1.7-yFeyMn0.3 (1.05

Jigang Li  Li Xu  Xiaojing Jiang  Xingguo Li 《自然科学进展(英文版)》2018,28(4):470-477