Rechargeable solid-state magnesium batteries are considered for high energy density storage and usage in mobile applications as well as to store energy from intermittent energy sources, triggering intense research for suitable electrode and electrolyte materials. Recently, magnesium borohydride, Mg(BH 4) 2 , was found to be an effective precursor for solid-state Mg-ion conductors. During the mechanochemical synthesis of these Mg-ion conductors, amorphous Mg(BH 4) 2 is typically formed and it was postulated that this amorphous phase promotes the conductivity. Here, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of as-received γ-Mg(BH 4) 2 and ball milled, amorphous Mg(BH 4) 2 confirmed that the conductivity of the latter is ~2 orders of magnitude higher than in as-received γ-Mg(BH 4) 2 at 353 K. Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of the local structure shows striking similarities up to a length scale of 5.1 Å, suggesting similar conduction pathways in both the crystalline and amorphous sample. Up to 12.27 Å the PDF indicates that a 3D net of interpenetrating channels might still be present in the amorphous phase although less ordered compared to the as-received γ-phase. However, quasi elastic neutron scattering experiments (QenS) were used to study the rotational mobility of the [BH 4 ] units, revealing a much larger fraction of activated [BH 4 ] rotations in amorphous Mg(BH 4) 2. These findings suggest that the conduction process in amorphous Mg(BH 4) 2 is supported by stronger rotational mobility, which is proposed to be the so-called "paddle-wheel" mechanism. Energy storage is one of the grand challenges for present and future generations. In recent years, intermittent renewable energy production has increased worldwide resulting in a high demand for energy storage systems. "Beyond Li-batteries", which are all-solid-state batteries with alternative working ions, including Na and Mg, are considered a promising alternative as they are cheaper and with respect to their natural abundancy more sustainable. However, the transport properties of larger Na + or double-charged Mg 2+ are challenging and directly correlated to the underlying crystal structure and dynamics. Understanding the accompanying structural and dynamic changes as well as finding high-performance cathode materials remain bottlenecks for the improvement of Mg-ion batteries 1. Mg-ion batteries (MIBs) have several advantages compared to Li-ion technology 2. For instance, the low electrochemical potential of −2.4 V (vs. standard hydrogen electrode (SHE)) is close to the one of Li with −3.0 V of Li/Li + , which allows for high cell voltages. Furthermore, Mg metal has a higher volumetric capacity of 3833 mA•cm −3 compared to 2036 mAh•cm −3 of Li metal, and magnesium has a higher natural abundancy of

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Lithium borohydride (LiBH4) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) were synthesized via mechanical milling of LiBO2, and NaBO2 with Mg–Al-based waste under controlled gaseous atmosphere conditions. Following this approach, the results herein presented indicate that LiBH4 and NaBH4 can be formed with a high conversion yield starting from the anhydrous borates under 70 bar H2. Interestingly, NaBH4 can also be obtained with a high conversion yield by milling NaBO2·4H2O and Mg–Al-based waste under an argon atmosphere. Under optimized molar ratios of the starting materials and milling parameters, NaBH4 and LiBH4 were obtained with conversion ratios higher than 99.5%. Based on the collected experimental results, the influence of the milling energy and the correlation with the final yields were also discussed.

To enhance the dehydrogenation/rehydrogenation kinetic behavior of the LiBH 4 −MgH 2 composite system, TiF 4 is used as an additive. The effect of this additive on the hydride composite system has been studied by means of laboratory and advanced synchrotron techniques. Investigations on the synthesis and mechanism upon hydrogen interaction show that the addition of TiF 4 to the LiBH 4 −MgH 2 composite system during the milling procedure leads to the in situ formation of well-distributed nanosized TiB 2 particles. These TiB 2 nanoparticles act as nucleation agents for the formation of MgB 2 upon dehydrogenation process of the hydride composite system. The effect of TiB 2 nanoparticles is maintained upon cycling.

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