Predicting reaction equilibria for destabilized metal hydride decomposition reactions for reversible hydrogen storage

Reversible storage of hydrogen still remains one of the biggest challenges for widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel. Light metal hydrides have high hydrogen content but are typically too thermodynamically stable. Destabilization of metal hydrides is an effective way to improve their thermodynamics. First principles calculations have proven to be effective for screening potential destabilized reactions, but these calculations have previously been limited to examining approximations for reaction enthalpies. We have used density functional theory calculations to calculate the reaction free energy and van't Hoff plots for a variety of potential destabilized metal hydride reactions. Our calculations suggest a multistage approach for efficiently screening new classes of metal hydrides prior to experimental studies.