Confinement of LiAlH₄ in a Mesoporous Carbon Black for Improved Near-Ambient Release of H₂

LiAlH4 is a potential solid-state H-2 storage material, where safe and efficient H-2 storage is of critical importance for the transition towards a sustainable emission-free economy. To improve the H-2 release and storage properties of LiAlH4, confinement in porous media decreases the temperature of H-2 release and improves the kinetics, where considerably improved H-2 release properties are accompanied by a loss in the total amount of H-2 released. The capability of mesoporous carbon black to improve the H-2 storage properties of confined LiAlH4 is investigated with temperature-programmed desorption and time-stability measurements using X-ray diffraction and N-2 gas adsorption measurements to characterize the composite materials' composition and structure. Here, we present the capability of commercial carbon black to effectively lower the onset temperature of H-2 release to that of near-ambient, >= 295 K. In addition, the confinement in mesoporous carbon black destabilized LiAlH4 to a degree that during <= 14 days in storage, under Ar atmosphere and at ambient temperature, 40% of the theoretically contained H-2 was lost due to decomposition. Thus, we present the possibility of destabilizing LiAlH4 to a very high degree and, thus, avoiding the melting step before H-2 release at around 440 K using scaffold materials with fine-tuned porosities.