Intermetallic Compounds for Hydrogen Storage: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Engineering

Background:

• Intermetallic compounds are explored for hydrogen activation and storage, crucial for low-temperature applications and metal hydride batteries.
• Current intermetallic compounds do not meet the 5.5 wt.% gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity target.
• Existing materials present trade-offs between storage capacity and operating temperature (e.g., Mg2Ni vs. ZrV2, LaNi5).

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of intermetallic compounds for hydrogen storage.
• To examine synthesis methods, metallurgical, and structural properties.
• To analyze the relationship between structural parameters and hydrogen storage performance.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on intermetallic compounds and hydrogen storage.
• Analysis of synthesis approaches including solidification-based and solid-state diffusion-based methods.
• Examination of metallurgical and structural properties and their correlation with hydrogen storage.

Main Results:

• Identified a non-linear correlation between void volume and gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity.
• Highlighted critical parameters governing performance: lattice structure, its evolution upon hydrogen absorption, hydride formation enthalpy, and hydrogen activation reactivity.
• Discussed limitations of current materials regarding capacity and operating conditions.

Conclusions:

• Intermetallic compounds require further research to meet hydrogen storage demands.
• Void volume, lattice structure, and thermodynamic properties are key targets for optimizing hydrogen storage materials.
• Understanding structure-property relationships is essential for designing next-generation hydrogen storage solutions.