Confinement of LiAlH4 in a Mesoporous Carbon Black for Improved Near-Ambient Release of H2

Abstract

LiAlH4 is a potential solid-state H2 storage material, where safe and efficient H2 storage is of critical importance for the transition towards a sustainable emission-free economy. To improve the H2 release and storage properties of LiAlH4, confinement in porous media decreases the temperature of H2 release and improves the kinetics, where considerably improved H2 release properties are accompanied by a loss in the total amount of H2 released. The capability of mesoporous carbon black to improve the H2 storage properties of confined LiAlH4 is investigated with temperature-programmed desorption and time-stability measurements using X-ray diffraction and N2 gas adsorption measurements to characterize the composite materials’ composition and structure. Here, we present the capability of commercial carbon black to effectively lower the onset temperature of H2 release to that of near-ambient, ≥295 K. In addition, the confinement in mesoporous carbon black destabilized LiAlH4 to a degree that during ≤14 days in storage, under Ar atmosphere and at ambient temperature, 40% of the theoretically contained H2 was lost due to decomposition. Thus, we present the possibility of destabilizing LiAlH4 to a very high degree and, thus, avoiding the melting step before H2 release at around 440 K using scaffold materials with fine-tuned porosities.