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Thermochemical Studies of NiII and ZnII Ternary Complexes Using Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry
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Metal-hydrogen systems with an exceptionally large and tunable thermodynamic destabilization
Peter Ngene1, Alessandro Longo2,3, Lennard Mooij4
1Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, Utrecht, 3584 CG, The Netherlands. p.ngene@uu.nl.
Nature Communications
|November 30, 2017
Summary
Strain engineering significantly destabilizes metal hydrides. Adding zirconium to yttrium precisely tunes hydrogen pressure, enabling a visual hydrogen sensor with a wide detection range.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
- Hydrogen Technology
Background:
- Metal-hydrides are crucial for energy applications like hydrogen storage and sensing.
- Their performance relies heavily on metal-hydrogen system thermodynamics.
- Tuning these thermodynamics is key to optimizing metal hydride properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate large metal hydride destabilization using elastic strain.
- To precisely tune the thermodynamics of yttrium-hydrogen interactions.
- To develop a visual hydrogen sensor based on these tuned properties.
Main Methods:
- Incorporating small amounts of zirconium into yttrium to induce lattice compression.
- Investigating the effect of this strain on the yttrium lattice during hydrogenation and dehydrogenation cycles.
- Measuring the equilibrium hydrogen pressure of the YH2 ↔ YH3 system at room temperature.
Main Results:
- Elastic strain from zirconium addition significantly destabilized the yttrium hydride.
- The equilibrium hydrogen pressure was tuned over five orders of magnitude at room temperature.
- A visual color-changing hydrogen sensor capable of indicating pressure over four orders of magnitude was realized.
Conclusions:
- Elastic strain is a powerful tool for rationally tuning metal hydride thermodynamics.
- This approach enables precise control over hydrogen pressure in metal-hydrogen systems.
- The developed sensor demonstrates a practical application for strain-engineered metal hydrides in hydrogen detection.
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