RHINE · Unravelling the Metal-Hydride Thermodynamics of Size-Selected Magnesium Nanoalloys.
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-04-01 → 2025-03-31
- EU contribution
- €328,968
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
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Results in brief
Unravelling the Metal-Hydride Thermodynamics of Size-Selected Magnesium Nanoalloys.
Hydrogen is a lightweight, abundant fuel suitable for both stationary and mobile applications. However, efficient storage remains a significant challenge for realizing a hydrogen economy. Mg and Mg-based alloys are promising hydrogen storage materials, but understanding their (de)hydrogenation behavior at high resolution is essential to improve performance. Therefore, the project involved using in-situ analysis to identify the (de) hydrogenation mechanism and the roles of strain and interface, thereby elucidating the kinetics of MgTi alloys for hydrogen storage. Notably, the objective was to utilize Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) as an approach to achieve better spatial resolution in identifying the details of the (de)hydrogenation bottlenecks. Although Mg and its alloys are interesting candidates for hydrogen storage, their practical application is limited by their complicated kinetics and thermodynamic behavior. Therefore, exploring this in detail and comparing the differences between Mg & MgTi alloys in terms of (de) hydrogenation properties and understanding the intricate details of hydrogen nucleation and growth at high spatial resolution is necessary. Mg films were first synthesized to optimize in-situ STEM conditions, then applied to MgTi. Films were made via DC magnetron sputtering, and FIB-prepared lamellae were mounted on MEMS chips for in-situ hydrogenation. Ex-situ samples were placed on Cu grids. Using plasmon shifts in EELS, phase changes were tracked to study metal–hydride transformations.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Hydrogen is an alternative future energy carrier. However, the drawback associated with its compact storage is still a scientific and technological challenge. Metal hydrides offer a suitable combination weighing both safety and cost. In particular, magnesium hydride (MgH2) is an ideal candidate with a high gravimetric capacity of 7.6 wt %, low cost, and abundance in nature. However, the high stability of Mg-H is a significant limitation for practical application. Although, recently, interface and strain induced-modification is proposed as a strategy to reduce the MgH2 stability in Mg nanoalloys. Nonetheless, they are not well understood in Mg nanoalloys. Moreover, understanding and interpreting these effects on a single nanoparticle (NP) from bulk measurement techniques is a significant problem. Since the effect of averaging and low spatial resolution plagues the collected data, it prevents in resolving the intrinsic impact of size, strain, and interface on a structure-property relationship of single NPs. Therefore, we propose (i) to use STEM-EELS with insitu gas holder(H2) at operando conditions in an aberration-corrected microscope to unravel the metal-hydride phase transition of individual Mg nanoalloys. (ii) apply state of the art iDPC and 4D-STEM to resolve the role of the interface and precise measurement of strain to identify the effect of destabilization on individual Mg nanoalloys. Moreover, advanced training on insitu TEM at DTU, iDPC, and 4D-STEM techniques @secondment and other transferable skills will diversify my competence further and positively impact my future career prospects and networking across Europe. The infrastructure/expertise at DTU, my experience, and knowledge in NP synthesis and hydrogen storage, along with the DTU support office, will ensure the successful implementation of the proposal. Finally, disseminating research and communication to the stakeholders and the general public will ensure the maximum impact of the project's results.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET · Kongens LyngbyCoordinatorDenmark
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union