ABSTRACT
In this paper, the gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of 200 nm Mg-Pd thin films with different morphologies have been investigated. The results show that Mg-Pd films become porous with the increase of substrate temperature. Porous Mg-Pd films exhibit superior gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage behaviors under mild conditions, including rapid hydrogen sorption kinetics, a large hydrogen storage amount, high electrochemical discharge capacity, and a fast hydrogen diffusion rate. The excellent behaviors of porous Mg-Pd films might be ascribed to the significantly shortened hydrogen diffusion paths and the large contact areas between the hydrogen gas and the solid Mg phases, which are elucidative for the development and applications of thick Mg-Pd films.
ABSTRACT
LiNH(BH3)NH2BH3, the first example of metal-substituted hydrazine bisborane (HBB), is synthesized via the reaction between HBB and n-butyllithium in ether solution. (11)B NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicate a new structure, in which one of the N-H bonds is replaced by a N-Li bond. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the product also indicates the formation of a new crystal structure. This compound releases hydrogen at 126 and 170 °C with satisfactory purity and exhibits superior hydrogen storage properties compared with HBB. Differential scanning calorimetry measurement suggests the dehydrogenation reaction of this compound is less exothermic than that of HBB.
ABSTRACT
Pd-Mg-Pd thin films with variable thickness of Mg layers were prepared. Their optical and electrical changes in both gasochromic and chemochromic processes were compared to investigate the kinetics of Mg-based thin films at room temperature. Hydrogen absorption and desorption kinetics of Pd-Mg-Pd thin films were strongly dependent on the thickness of the Mg layer. Especially, when the thickness was lowered to 60 nm, a MgH2 layer formed immediately after exposure to H2 at room temperature, while a Mg layer was rapidly generated during hydrogen desorption in ambient air. By means of optical and electrical resistance measurements, we found that the diffusion process contributed significantly to hydrogen absorption and desorption. The remarkable absorption and desorption kinetics at room temperature reported here suggested promising applications in Mg-based energy-efficient devices and hydrogen sensors.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, the structures of 500 nm thick Mg-Pd films were tailored by insertion of 1 nm thin Ti interlayers, and their electrochemical hydrogen storage properties were investigated. Results showed that thin Ti interlayers in the Mg bulk film could significantly improve the discharge properties of thick Mg-Pd films. The Mg100-Ti1 sample exhibited the most promising electrochemical properties, including a shorter activation period, larger discharge capacity, superior cyclic stability and high rate discharge capability, due to the creation of numerous interfaces and nucleation sites, reduction of the hydrogen diffusion path, and synergetic catalytic effects of Pd and Ti layers.
ABSTRACT
An alkaline primary Mg-air battery made from a porous Mg thin film displayed superior discharge performances, including a flat discharge plateau, a high open-circuit voltage of 1.41 V and a large discharge capacity of 821 mAh g(-1), suggesting that the electrochemical performances of Mg-air batteries can be improved by controlling the Mg anode morphology.
ABSTRACT
The Mg(x)Ni(100-x) films of 100 nm have been prepared by magnetron co-sputtering Mg and Ni targets, and a Pd layer of 10 nm was deposited on these films by magnetron sputtering a Pd target. Mg2Ni and MgNi2 are directly generated during the co-sputtering process in the Mg84Ni16/Pd and Mg48Ni52/Pd films. The hydrogen storage properties of the films under 0.1 MPa H2 at 298 K were investigated. The hydrogenation of the Mg84Ni16/Pd film saturates within 45 s and exhibits the faster absorption kinetics compared with Mg94Ni6/Pd and Mg48Ni52/Pd films. The electrochemical properties of the Mg(x)Ni(100-x)/Pd films were investigated in 6 M KOH with a three-electrode cell. The Mg84Ni16/Pd film can be activated just at the first cycle. The maximum discharge capacity of the Mg84Ni16/Pd film is 482.7 mAh g(-1), the highest among these films.
Subject(s)
Electrochemical Techniques , Hydrogen/chemistry , Magnesium/chemistry , Nickel/chemistry , Palladium/chemistry , TemperatureABSTRACT
Graphene oxide (GO) sheets were introduced to stabilize the melted polyethylene glycol (PEG) during the solid-liquid phase change process, which can be used as a smart heat storage system. The structural properties and phase change behaviors of the PEG-GO composites were comprehensively investigated as a function of the PEG content by means of various characterization techniques. The highest stabilized PEG content is 90 wt% in the composites, resulting in a heat storage capacity of 156.9 J g(-1), 93.9% of the phase change enthalpy of pure PEG. Notably, GO has much stronger impact on lowering of the phase change temperature of PEG compared with some other porous carbon materials (activated carbon and ordered mesoporous carbon) due to the unique thin layer structure of GO. Because of the high heat storage capacity and the moderate phase change temperature, the PEG-GO composite is a promising heat energy storage candidate at mild temperature.
ABSTRACT
We prepared a series of nano-sized Mg-Al-Pd trilayer films and investigated their hydrogen storage properties under mild conditions. Results showed that Al 1 nm sample had the best absorption kinetics and excellent optical properties at room temperature, making it a promising candidate for hydrogen sensors and smart windows.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, a series of Mg-Ti-Pd trilayer films with various thicknesses of the Ti interlayer were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The trilayer films could be reversibly (de)hydrogenated at room temperature. The relationship between structure and properties of Mg-Ti-Pd trilayer films was comprehensively investigated. Our studies showed that the hydrogen storage properties of Mg-Pd films were significantly improved with the addition of a Ti interlayer. The optimal hydrogenation properties were obtained when the Ti interlayer was 1 nm. The superior hydrogenation properties achieved by introduction of the Ti interlayer could be attributed to several aspects: prevention of Mg-Pd alloying; catalytic dissociation of H(2) molecules and provision of heterogeneous nucleation sites. These results were elucidative for the development of high performance intermetallic hydrogen storage materials and thin film based functional devices.
ABSTRACT
Nano-composites of LiNH(2)-LiH-xMg(BH(4))(2) (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) were prepared by plasma metal reaction followed by a nucleation growth method. Highly reactive LiNH(2)-LiH hollow nanoparticles offered a favorable nucleus during a precipitation process of liquid Mg(BH(4))(2)·OEt(2). The electron microscopy results suggested that more than 90% of the obtained nano-composites were in the range 200-400 nm. Because of the short diffusion distance and ternary mixture self-catalyzing effect, this material possesses enhanced hydrogen (de)sorption attributes, including facile low-temperature kinetics, impure gases attenuation and partial reversibility. The optimal hydrogen storage properties were found at the composition of LiNH(2)-LiH-0.5Mg(BH(4))(2), which was tentatively attributed to a Li(4)(NH(2))(2)(BH(4))(2) intermediate. 5.3 wt% hydrogen desorption could be recorded at 150 °C, with the first 2.2 wt% release being reversible. This work suggests that controlled in situ hybridization combined with formula optimization can improve hydrogen storage properties.
