Dehydrogenation mechanism of LiBH4 by Poly(methyl methacrylate)

We investigated the dehydrogenation properties and mechanism of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) confined LiBH4. Thermal stability of LiBH4 was reduced by PMMA, with a decrease in dehydrogenation temperature by 120 degrees C. At 360 degrees C, the composite showed fast dehydrogenation kinetics with 10 wt.% of hydrogen released within 1 h. The improved dehydrogenation performance was mainly attributed to the reaction between LiBH4 and PMMA forming Li3BO3 as a final product. Furthermore, the presence of electrostatic interaction between B atom of LiBH4 and O atom in the carbonyl group of PMMA may weaken the B-H bonding of [BH4] and lower the hydrogen desorption temperature. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.