Improved dehydrogenation properties of surface-oxidized LiBH4@NiO nanostructure

In this work, flower-like NiO was synthesized by facile hydrothermal method and LiBH4@NiO was prepared by simple wet ultrasonication method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-resolution scanning electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscope with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction pattern. The hydrogenation and dehydrogenation studies were carried out by the hydrogenation setup and simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA), respectively. Initially, the composites were tested for thermal stability by using STA before dehydrogenation study. Then the samples were hydrogenated at three different temperatures under constant 5 and 10 bar gas pressures. Hydrogen desorption thermogram of LiBH4@NiO_Ar composite exhibited hydrogen release of similar to 2.13 wt% between 50 degrees C and 250 degrees C. In comparison, hydrogenated LiBH4_Ar releases similar to 1.6 wt% of hydrogen under the same condition. From the results, it found that the dehydrogenation properties of LiBH4 is notably improved due to the addition of NiO.

Automated summary

In this study, flower-like NiO was synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method, and LiBH4@NiO was prepared using a wet ultrasonication method. Characterization techniques confirmed that LiBH4@NiO released approximately 2.13 wt% hydrogen between 50°C and 250°C, showing improved dehydrogenation compared to LiBH4 alone releasing 1.6 wt% hydrogen under the same conditions.