Thermal Conversion of Unsolvated Mg(B3H8)2 to BH4- in the Presence of MgH2

In the search for energy storage materials, metal octahydrotriborates, Mg(B3H8)(n), n = 1 and 2, are promising candidates for applications such as stationary hydrogen storage and all-solid-state batteries. Therefore, we studied the thermal conversion of unsolvated Mg(B3H8)(2) to BH4- as-synthesized and in the presence of MgH2. The conversion of our unsolvated Mg(B3H8)(2) starts at similar to 100 degrees C and yields similar to 22 wt % of BH4- along with the formation of (closo-hydro)borates and volatile boranes. This loss of boron (B) is a sign of poor cyclability of the system. However, the addition of activated MgH2 to unsolvated Mg(B3H8)(2) drastically increases the thermal conversion to 85-88 wt % of BH4- while simultaneously decreasing the amounts of B-losses. Our results strongly indicate that the presence of activated MgH2 substantially decreases the formation of (closo-hydro)borates and provides the necessary H-2 for the B3H8-to-BH4 conversion. This is the first report of a metal octahydrotriborate system to selectively convert to BH4- under moderate conditions of temperature (200 degrees C) in less than 1 h, making the MgB3H8-MgH2 system very promising for energy storage applications.

Automated summary

The addition of activated MgH2 significantly improves the efficiency of Mg(B3H8)(2) conversion to BH4- and reduces B-losses. The system can selectively convert at moderate temperature (200 degrees C) in a short period of time, showing great potential for energy storage applications.