Promoted dehydrogenation in ammine lithium borohydride supported by carbon nanotubes

In this paper, ammine lithium borohydride (LiBH(4)·NH(3)) was successfully impregnated into multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through a melting technique. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and density measurements were employed to confirm the formation of the nanostructured LiBH(4)·NH(3)/CNTs composites. As a consequence, it was found that the dehydrogenation of the loaded LiBH(4)·NH(3) was remarkably enhanced, showing an onset dehydrogenation at temperatures below 100 °C, together with a prominent desorption of pure hydrogen at around 280 °C, with a capacity as high as 6.7 wt.%, while only a trace of H(2) liberation was present for the pristine LiBH(4)·NH(3) in the same temperature range. Structural examination indicated that the significant modification of the thermal decomposition route of LiBH(4)·NH(3) achieved in the present study is due to the CNT-assisted formation of B-N-based hydride composite, starting at a temperature below 100 °C. It is demonstrated that the formation of this B-N-based hydride covalently stabilized the [NH] groups that were weakly coordinated on Li cations in the pristine LiBH(4)·NH(3)via strong B-N bonds, and furthermore, accounted for the substantial hydrogen desorption at higher temperatures.