Magnesium-based nanocomposites chemical hydrides

The hydrolysis reaction of nanostructured MgH2 and nanocomposites MgH2-X (X=Ca, Li, LiAlH4) prepared by ball-milling was studied as a function of milling time and component proportion. It was found that nanocrystallinity greatly enhances the hydrolysis kinetics. Moreover, in this new class of chemical hydrides, the reaction also proceeds to full completion, contrary to some conventional chemical hydrides where the reaction stops before total completion due to the formation of passivation layers. The effect of addition of acidic solutions was also investigated. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.