The phase structure and hydrogen storage property of LaMg3.93Ni0.21 alloy were studied. XRD and SEM results exhibited that LaMg3.93Ni0.21 alloy consisted mainly of LaMg3, La2Mg17 and LaMg2Ni phases; after hydriding/dehydriding process, all the three phases transformed, La3H7 phase existed and the actual hydrogen absorption phases were Mg and Mg2Ni phases. Pressure-composition-temperature （P-C-T） measurement showed that the reversible hydrogen storage capacity of LaMg3.93Ni0.21 alloy was 2.63 wt.%, and the absorption time for reaching 90% of the storage capacity was 124 s at 523 K, and it was 1850 s for deabsorbing 90% of the maximum dehydrogen capacity. The hydriding process of LaMg3.93Ni0.21 alloy followed the nucleation and growth mechanisms. The enthalpy and entropy for hydriding and dehydriding reactions of the Mg phase in LaMg3.93Ni0.21 alloy were calculated to be 456.38±1.10 kJ/mol H2, -100.96±1.96 J/（K·mol） H2 and 68.50-x3.87 kJ/mol H2, 98.28 ±5.48 J/（K-mol） H2, respectively. A comparison of these data with those of MgHz （-74.50 kJ/mol H2, -132.30 J/K.mol H2） suggested that the hydride of LaMg3.93Nio.21 alloy was less stable than MgH2. The existence of La hydride and synergetic effect of multiphase led to higher reversible hydrogen storage capacity and better kinetic property at lower temperature for LaMg3mNi0.21 alloy.
Hydrogen storage MgH2-xNbH （x = 0 and 0.05） properties of 2LiNH2- composites and the catalysis of NbH on hydrogen sorption reaction of the Li-Mg- N-H system were investigated. Hydrogen sorption properties of 2LiNH2-MgH2 system are effectively improved by adding NbH. Temperature programmed desorption results show the addition of NbH reduces the dehydriding onset temperature of 2LiNH2-MgH2 system by 21 K. Approximate 3.62 wt% hydrogen in 2LiNH2-MgHz- 0.05NbH composite is released following a 500 min at 433 K, whereas the amount of hydrogen desorption is only -3.16 wt% for the pristine system under the same condition. The sample with NbH exhibits higher dehydriding rate compared with the pristine one. Moreover, hydrogen absorption rate increases by adding NbH into the 2LiNH2- MgH2 system. Hydrogen absorption capacity of the samples with NbH is 3.23 wt% within 400 rain, which is higher than that of pristine sample. Fine NbH particles homogeneously distribute in the 2LiNH2-MgH2-0.05NbH composite, and catalyze the hydrogen sorption reaction rather than reacts as a reactant into new compound.
A composite of LiBH4-Mg2NiH4 doped with 10wt% CEH2.29 was prepared by ball milling followed by dynamic interspace vac- uum treatment at 573 K. The introduction of CEH2.29 caused a transformation in the morphology of Mg from complex spongy and lamellar to uniformly spongy, resulting in refined particle size and abundant H diffusion pathways. This LiBH4-Mg2NiH4 ＋ 10wt% CEH2.29 composite exhibited excellent hydrogen storage properties. The starting temperature of rapid H absorption decreased to 375 K in the doped composite from 452 K for the unmodified material, and the onset decomposition temperature of its hydride was reduced from 536 K to 517 K. In addi- tion, the time required for a hydrogen release of 1.5wt% （at 598 K） was 87 s less than that of the un-doped composite.
LaMg8.52Ni2.23M0.15 （M=Ni, Cu, Cr） alloys were prepared by induction melting. X-ray diffraction showed that all the three alloys had a multiphase structure, consisting of La2Mg17, LaMg2Ni and Mg2Ni phases. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer results revealed that most of Cu and Cr distributed in MgzNi phase. La2Mg17 and LaMg2Ni phases decomposed into MgHz, Mg2NiH4 and LaH3 phases during the hydrogenation process. Hydriding/dehydriding measurements indicated that the reversible hydrogen storage capacities of Mg2Ni phase in LaMgs.52Ni2.23M0.15 （M=Cu, Cr） alloys increased to 1.05 wt.% and 0.97 wt.% from 0.79 wt.% of Mg2Ni phase in LaMgs.52Ni2.38 alloy at 523 K. Partial substitution of Cu and Cr for Ni decreased the onset dehydrogenation temperature of the alloy hydrides and the temperature lowered by 18.20 and 5.50 K, respectively. The improvement in the dehydrogenation property of the alloys was attributed to that Cu and Cr decreased the stability of Mg2NiH4 phase.
Hydrogen storage properties of 2LiNH2-MgH2 system were improved by adding lanthanum hydride （LaH3）, and the role of LaH3 in hydrogen sorption process of Li-Mg-N-H system was investigated. Temperature programmed sorption results showed that the addition of lanthanum hydride reduced the dehydriding/hydriding onset temperature of 2LiNH2-MgH2 system by at least 15 K. Moreover, A 0.053 wt.%/min average rate was determined for the hydrogen desorption of 2LiNH2-MgH2-0.05LaH3 composite, while it was only 0.035 wt.%/min for 2LiNH2-MgH2 system. Hydrogen absorption capacity increased from 1.62 wt.% to 2.12 wt.% within 200 min by adding LaH3 into 2LiNH2-MgH2 system at 383 K. In the dehydrogenation of 2LiNH2-MgH2-0.05LaH3 composite, LaH2 transferred to LaN phase, which reversed to LaH2 in the following hydrogen adsorption process. The reversible reaction of LaH2 ef- fectively promoted the hydrogen sorption of Li-Mg-N-H system. Moreover, the homogenous distribution of fine La hydride was fa- vorable to improving effect of lanthanum hydride.
Phase compositions, morphologies and hydrogen storage properties of the as-cast and copper-mould-cast LaMgaNi alloys were studied. The dehydriding onset temperature of the as-cast alloy hydride was about 500 K, which was at least 50 K higher than that of the copper-mould-cast one, and the copper-mould-cast alloy hydride had a faster dehydriding rate compared with as-cast one. Additionally, the copper-mould-cast alloy could uptake 2.85 wt.% hydrogen, which was 95.0% of saturated hydrogen storage capac- ity at room temperature. While only 1.80 wt.% hydrogen （60% of saturated capacity） was absorbed for the as-cast alloy under the same conditions. The reversible hydrogen storage capacities and plateau hydrogen pressures of the two alloys were close. X-ray dif- fractions and scanning electron microscopy results indicated that similar thermodynamic property of the two alloys should be ascribed to the same hydrogen storage phase, Mg and MgzNi. The better hydrogen sorption kinetics of copper-mould-cast alloy should be as- cribed to the more uniform phase distribution compared with that of the as-cast one.
