Hydrogen cycling in γ-Mg(BH4)2 with cobalt-based additives

Abstract

Magnesium borohydride (Mg(BH4)2) is an attractive candidate as a hydrogen storage material due to its high hydrogen content and predicted favorable thermodynamics. In this work we demonstrate reversible hydrogen desorption in partially decomposed Mg(BH4)2 which was ball milled together with 2 mol% Co-based additives. Powder X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy showed that after partial decomposition at 285 °C, amorphous boron-hydride compounds were formed. Rehydrogenation at equivalent temperatures and hydrogen pressures of 120 bar yielded the formation of crystalline Mg(BH4)2 in the first cycle, and amorphous Mg(BH4)2 with other boron–hydrogen compounds upon the third H2 absorption. Reversibility was observed in the samples with and without Co-based additives, although the additives enhanced hydrogen desorption kinetics in the first cycle. X-ray absorption spectroscopy at Co K-edge revealed that all the additives, apart from Co2B, reacted during the first desorption to form new stable species.