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Updated: May 11, 2026

Supercritical Nitrogen Processing for the Purification of Reactive Porous Materials
Published on: May 15, 2015
Is Y2(B12H12)3 the main intermediate in the decomposition process of Y(BH4)3?
Yigang Yan1, Arndt Remhof, Daniel Rentsch
1EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Hydrogen & Energy, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland. yigang.yan@empa.ch
Abstract:
Dodecaborates, i.e. the [B12H12](2-) containing species, are often observed as main intermediates in the hydrogen sorption cycle of metal borohydrides, hindering rehydrogenation. In the decomposition process of Y(BH4)3, yttrium octahydrotriborate, i.e. Y(B3H8)3, rather than the stable Y2(B12H12)3, is formed as the main intermediate.
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