RESUMO
The objective of this work was to demonstrate a micro-fabricated hydrogen storage module for micro-power systems. Hydrogen storage materials were developed as thin-film inks to be compatible with an integrated manufacturing process. Performance and durability of storage modules were evaluated. Further, applications were demonstrated for a nickel-hydrogen battery and a micro-fabricated hydrogen-air PEM fuel cell. The ink making process, in which polymer binders and solvents were added to the palladium-treated alloys, slightly decreased the storage capacities, but had little effect on the activation properties of the treated alloys. After 5000 absorption/desorption cycles under hydrogen, the hydrogen storage capacities of the thin-film inks remained high. Absorption/desorption behavior of the ink was tested in the environment of a new type nickel-hydrogen battery, in which it would in contact with 26wt% KOH solution, and the ink showed no apparent degradation. Storage modules were used as the successfully as hydrogen source for PEM fuel cell.
RESUMO
The objective of this work was to develop a hydrogen storage module for onboard electrical power sources suitable for use in micro power systems and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Hydrogen storage materials were developed as thin-film inks to be compatible with an integrated manufacturing process. Important design aspects were (a) ready activation at sub-atmospheric hydrogen pressure and room temperature and (b) durability, i.e. capable of hundreds of absorption/desorption cycles and resistance to deactivation on exposure to air. Inks with palladium-treated intermetallic hydrogen storage alloys were developed and are shown here to be compatible with a thin-film micro-fabrication process. These hydrogen storage modules absorb hydrogen readily at atmospheric pressure, and the absorption/desorption rates remained fast even after the ink was exposed to air for 47 weeks.
