Energies (Nov 2021)

Stability, Electronic Structure and Thermodynamic Properties of Nanostructured MgH<sub>2</sub> Thin Films

  • Omar Mounkachi,
  • Asmae Akrouchi,
  • Ghassane Tiouitchi,
  • Marwan Lakhal,
  • Elmehdi Salmani,
  • Abdelilah Benyoussef,
  • Abdelkader Kara,
  • Abdellah El Kenz,
  • Hamid Ez-Zahraouy,
  • Amine El Moutaouakil

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/en14227737
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 22
p. 7737

Abstract

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Magnesium is an attractive hydrogen storage candidate due to its high gravimetric and volumetric storage capacities (7.6 wt.% and 110 gH2/l, respectively). Unfortunately, its use as a storage material for hydrogen is hampered by the high stability of its hydride, its high dissociation temperature of 573–673 K and its slow reaction kinetics. In order to overcome those drawbacks, an important advancement toward controlling the enthalpy and desorption temperatures of nano-structured MgH2 thin films via stress/strain and size effects is presented in this paper, as the effect of the nano-structuring of the bulk added to a biaxial strain on the hydrogen storage properties has not been previously investigated. Our results show that the formation heat and decomposition temperature correlate with the thin film’s thickness and strain/stress effects. The instability created by decreasing the thickness of MgH2 thin films combined with the stress/strain effects induce a significant enhancement in the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2.

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