Hydride phase equilibria in V-Ti-Ni alloy membranes

Vanadium is highly permeable to hydrogen which makes it one of the leading alternatives to Pd alloys for hydrogen-selective alloy membrane applications, but it is prone to brittle failure through excessive hydrogen absorption and transitions between the BCC alpha and BCT beta phases. V-Ti-Ni alloys are a prospective class of alloy for hydrogen-selective membrane applications, comprising a highly-permeable vanadium solid solution and several interdendritic Ni-Ti compounds. These Ni-Ti compounds are thought to stabilise the alloy against brittle failure. This hypothesis was investigated through a systematic study of V70Ti15Ni15 by hydrogen absorption and X-ray diffraction under conditions relevant to membrane operation. Dissolved hydrogen concentration in the bulk alloy and component phases, phase identification, thermal and hydrogen-induced expansion, phase quantification and hydride phase transitions under a range of pressures and temperatures have been determined. The vanadium phase passes through three different phase fields (BCC, BCC + BCT, BCT + BCT) during cooling under H-2 from 400 to 30 degrees C. Dissolution of Ni and Ti into the vanadium phase increases the critical temperature for beta-hydride formation from <200 to >400 degrees C. Furthermore, the Ni-Ti phases also exhibit several phase transitions meaning their ability to stabilise the alloy is questionable. We conclude that this alloy is significantly inferior to V with respect to its stability when used as a hydrogen-selective membrane, but the hydride phase transitions suggest potential application for high-temperature hydrogen and thermal energy storage. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B. V.