Air stability of low-temperature dehydrogenation of Pd-decorated Mg blades

We demonstrated that Pd-decorated Mg blades are air-stable for hydrogen storage with a low desorption temperature of 373 K. Pd-catalyst-decorated Mg blades were prepared by 64° oblique incident angle thermal deposition on a rotatable substrate with the rotation axis perpendicular to the substrate. The hydrogen desorption from Pd-decorated Mg blades was performed and recorded by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) for repeated hydrogenation–dehydrogenation cycles. The near-surface structural and compositional changes were characterized in situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). The Mg blades were intentionally exposed to air at elevated temperatures (333 or 358 K) between certain cycles. It was found that the degradation of the storage capacity was affected weakly by the air exposure at moderate temperatures. The kinetics of the hydrogen desorption was sensitive to air exposure but recoverable through a replenishment of fresh catalyst Pd on the surface of the oxidized Mg blades.