Activation of the reactive hydride composite 2NaBH4 + MgH2

“Activation of the reactive hydride composite 2NaBH4 + MgH2” by C. Pistidda, G. Barkhordarian, A. Rzeszutek, S. Garroni, C. Bonatto Minella, M.D. Baró, P. Nolis, Rüdiger Bormann, T. Klassena and M. Dornhei. Scripta Materialia, Volume 64, Issue 11, June 2011, Pages 1035-1038. DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2011.02.017

A novel method to enhance the reaction kinetics of the reactive hydride composite 2NaBH4 + MgH2 is described. It has been discovered that short-term exposure to a moist atmosphere has a very beneficial effect on the desorption reaction of the 2NaBH4 + MgH2 mixture. By this procedure it is possible to achieve, after drying, both faster desorption kinetics and greater amounts of released hydrogen compared to ball-milled material without further treatment.