Nanointerface Engineering of Metal Hydrides for Advanced Hydrogen Storage

Abstract

With global efforts to relieve the formidable impact of climate change, hydrogen is considered a viable replacement for fossil fuels without intermittency concerns of other renewable sources. Hydrogen storage plays a pivotal role in the implementation of hydrogen economy, coupling hydrogen production with fuel cell technologies. Storing hydrogen in the form of solid-state hydride materials has been studied as a future hydrogen storage technology for enabling a safe, energy-efficient, and high-energy-density system. However, hostile thermodynamic and kinetic properties of each hydride material result in insufficient hydrogen storage performance for practical applications, such as sluggish hydrogen absorption or desorption, high dehydrogenation temperatures, and sometimes limited reversibility; thus, these kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics need to be thoroughly understood depending on each hydride material. Among various strategies, nanostructuring has been regarded as a general approach to tackling such limitations regarding thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of hydride materials. In particular, the formation of nanosized hydrides within a nanostructured scaffoldalso known as nanoconfinementis of great potential for advanced hydrogen storage because it can additionally leverage host–guest interactions at the nanointerfaces of hydride materials and scaffolds. In this context, the active tuning of such nanointerfaces brings about additional thermodynamic or kinetic changes in hydrogen sorption reactions compared to the unmodified nanoconfined hydride composites, holding great promise for tailored strategies for each metal hydride. In this Perspective, we summarize the major thermodynamic and kinetic barriers of each metal hydride and highlight the recent progress in overcoming such limits, mainly focusing on nanointerface engineering in nanoconfined metal hydrides. Further, we provide our insight and current challenges in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the interaction at the nanointerface, whereby the noticeable technological leaps can be emulated in practical systems.

Microstructure and First Hydrogenation Properties of Ti30V60Mn(10−x)Crx (x = 0, 3.3, 6.6, 10) + 4 wt.% Zr

“…For hydrogen storage applications, metal hydrides have the benefit of storing hydrogen with high volumetric storage density, low cost [1] and safety [2]. Several types of intermetallic compounds have been investigated for hydrogen storage: AB 2 [3], AB 5 [4], LaNi 5 [5,6] TiFe [7,8], and ZrV 2 [9].…”

Exceptional Hydrogen Uptake in Crystalline InxGa1–xN Semiconductors

“…In order to foresee any use in automotive hydrogen storage systems, it would be optimal to allow H desorption from the materials using only residual heat from a fuel cell; some modeling proposed a dehydrogenation enthalpy of 27 kJ molH 2 –1 as an optimal value for this application . To achieve reversible operations at more practical conditions with complex metal hydrides, catalysts and additives are normally used. − Two other strategies more recently explored to achieve realistic operation conditions are the destabilization of the lightweight complex hydrides using a second hydride (the so-called reactive hydride composites , ) and the nanoconfinement of the hydride to modify the kinetics and/or thermodynamics . It is also worth remarking here that several metal hydride materials involve safety risks (burning when exposed to air/water, toxicity, skin burns, etc.…”

“…65−68 Two other strategies more recently explored to achieve realistic operation conditions are the destabilization of the lightweight complex hydrides using a second hydride (the so-called reactive hydride composites 69,70 ) and the nanoconfinement of the hydride to modify the kinetics and/or thermodynamics. 71 It is also worth remarking here that several metal hydride materials involve safety risks (burning when exposed to air/ water, toxicity, skin burns, etc. )…”

Bimetal Three-Dimensional MXene Nanostructures Stabilizing Magnesium Hydrides Realize Long Cyclic Life and Faster Kinetic Rates

“…This approach addresses the challenges posed by temporal and spatial disparities between renewable energy generation and electricity demand, thus enabling a continuous integration of renewable power sources. 1,2 The development of a hydrogen storage system that is both safe and energy-efficient, which can be acknowledged as a crucial challenge within the realm of hydrogen energy. 3,4 This issue holds significant importance and requires intensive devotion to ensure the secure storage of hydrogen while maximizing its energy utilization.…”

“…Hydrogen-based energy storage has emerged as a crucial step for achieving decarbonization goals and transition to a net-zero emissions economy. This approach addresses the challenges posed by temporal and spatial disparities between renewable energy generation and electricity demand, thus enabling a continuous integration of renewable power sources. , The development of a hydrogen storage system that is both safe and energy-efficient, which can be acknowledged as a crucial challenge within the realm of hydrogen energy. , This issue holds significant importance and requires intensive devotion to ensure the secure storage of hydrogen while maximizing its energy utilization . Hydrogen storage in solid-state materials has gained considerable interest due to its numerous benefits, including its ability to achieve high storage density, ensure safety, and offer potential economic advantages. , Among the solid-state hydrogen materials, magnesium hydride (MgH 2 ) is extensively researched due to its ample resources, low cost, and impressive storage reversible capacity in terms of both volume (110 g/L) and weight (7.6 wt %).…”