Hydrogen storage properties of Na-Li-Mg-Al-H complex hydrides

Lightweight complex hydrides have attracted attention for their high storage hydrogen capacity. NaAlH4 has been widely studied as a hydrogen storage material for its favorable reversible operating temperature and pressure range for automotive fuel cell applications. The increased understanding of NaAlH4 has led to an expanded search for high capacity materials in mixed alkali and akali/alkaline earth alanates. In this study, promising candidates in the Na-Li-Mg-Al-H system were evaluated using a combination of experimental chemistry, atomic modeling, and thennodynamic modeling. New materials were synthesized using solid state and solution based processing methods. Their hydrogen storage properties were measured experimentally, and the test results were compared with theoretical modeling assessments. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.