How to increase hydrogenation speed by 5 times with solid-state hydrogen storage technology

　　Hydrogen is the perfect solution for carbon-neutral transportation, assuming the gas is produced from renewable energy sources such as wind power. Hydrogen in a container does not produce a gram of carbon dioxide; only water vapor. One of the limiting factors in hydrogen utilization is the lack of efficient storage systems. In current fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen is injected into a high-pressure gas tank with a pressure of up to 700 bar, which is an expensive technology. Solid-state hydrogen storage based on amide hydrides is a promising option.

　　So-called magnesium hydride has been studied as a potential hydrogen storage system for several years by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Gee lithium-ion battery sthacht. Compared with traditional pressure vessels, its advantage is that it can store more hydrogen per unit volume and therefore more energy. For example: a fuel cell car can travel about 500 kilometers using 5 kilograms of hydrogen. A high-pressure container requires a volume of 122 liters to hold 5 kilograms of hydrogen, while a magnesium hydrogen container from a lithium-ion battery manufacturer only needs a volume of 46 liters to hold the same weight of hydrogen. The problem, however, is that the hydrogen filling must be completed at a high temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius.

　　To lower the temperature, researchers used additives such as potassium. Claudio Pistidda, a materials researcher at the Nanotechnology Department of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht and one of the authors of the paper, explains: Unfortunately, these additions often lead to a drastic decrease in hydrogen storage capacity. Therefore, we developed a new reactive hydride composite system that has a high hydrogen storage capacity and can fill and discharge hydrogen very quickly at an operating temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.

　　For example, the process of injecting 5 kilograms of hydrogen fuel into a magnesium-amide hydride takes about 30 minutes. HZG scientists have now successfully combined two additives, thus significantly reducing the time required to fill and drain the system. Scientists have used specialized mills to grind potassium and titanates, as well as magnesium-amide hydrides, into tiny nanoparticles. This greatly increases the surface area of individual particles, allowing them to bind more hydrogen.

　　Gökhan Gizer, a doctoral student at HZG, conducted numerous experiments for this study. Three years later, he achieved a breakthrough: in the study, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the developed additive acted as a catalyst and accelerated the loading of hydrogen into reactive hydride composite systems. Gökhan Gizer explains: We invented a catalyst that speeds up the filling process by about five times.

　　In general, charging and discharging of metal hydride storage tanks depends on heat transfer, movement of gas through the hydride, and the rate of reaction with the hydride. A detailed understanding of these processes forms the basis of scientists' research. Basic research with real added value: The results of this study bring us a big step closer to a competitive hydrogen storage technology, explains Dr. Pistidda.

　　Scientists from the Nanotechnology Department are currently working on optimizing the reaction kinetics of these new materials to qualify them for practical technical applications in automobiles.

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