Materials for the Hydrogen Economy

MBN has developed advanced magnesium-based metal hydride alloys and nanostructured hydrogen storage composites using its proprietary Mechanomade® high-energy ball milling process, successfully overcoming the significant processing challenges associated with highly reactive and ductile magnesium.

Mg-based hydrogen storage materials are synthesized directly in powder form with refined nanocrystalline grain structure (grain size <100 nm) that dramatically accelerates hydrogen diffusion kinetics along grain boundary networks. Nano-scale catalytic additives (Nb₂O₅, TiO₂, V₂O₅) are homogeneously dispersed during the milling process, promoting efficient dissociation of H₂ molecule into atomic hydrogen at the powder surface—the rate-limiting step in hydrogen absorption.

This catalytic enhancement strategy significantly improves:
Gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity (up to 7 wt% H₂)
Hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics (fast cycling rates)
Operating temperature reduction (150-300 °C vs. 350+ °C for pure Mg)
Activation time minimization (first hydrogenation cycle)
Cycle life stability (reversible hydrogen uptake/release)

MBN’s magnesium enables safer solid-state hydrogen storage, lightweight tank systems, and more efficient energy density compared to compressed or liquefied hydrogen, supporting next-generation clean energy infrastructure, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, renewable energy storage, and accelerating the adoption of hydrogen as a sustainable energy carrier for decarbonization.

COMPOSITION

Mg, Mg-Ni, Mg-Fe, Mg-Ti alloy systems

PROPERTIES

Hydrogen capacity                 5-7 wt% (reversible)
Operating pressure                 1-10 bar H₂
Operating temperature           150-300 °C
Absorption kinetics                <5 min for 80% capacity (optimized formulations)
Desorption kinetics                <10 min at 250 °C
Cycle life                                   >1000 absorption/desorption cycles
Particle size                             10-100 µm (application-specific)
Catalyst loading                     1-5 wt% transition metal oxides

Development Services: Custom alloy composition design, kinetics optimization, catalyst screening, cycling stability testing, tank integration support.

Alloys for Reversible Hydrogen Storage

The process developed by MBN are suited to the production of advanced intermetallic hydride powders for solid-state hydrogen storage systems, including AB₅-type, AB₂-type, and AB-type alloy families. These hydrogen storage materials are engineered using mechanical alloying process, enabling synthesis of complex multicomponent intermetallic systems with precise compositional control and nanostructured morphology.

The flexibility of solid-state processing allows both A-site substitution (rare-earth or alkaline-earth elements) and B-site substitution (transition metals) within the crystallographic lattice, enabling creation of optimized hydrogen storage alloys beyond conventional binary compositions. This compositional tuning capability allows optimization of critical storage properties:

◉ Hydrogen storage capacity (wt% and volumetric density)
◉ Equilibrium plateau pressure (matching operating conditions)
◉ Absorption/desorption temperatures (ambient to 100 °C)
◉ Cycling stability and degradation resistance (>10,000 cycles)
◉ Activation behavior (initial hydrogenation requirements)

The nanocrystalline grain structure achieved through high-energy ball milling (grain size 20-100 nm) significantly enhances hydrogen diffusion kinetics through grain boundary networks, dramatically improving hydrogen absorption rates and desorption kinetics compared to cast or arc-melted alloys.

Additionally, in-situ dispersion of catalytic nano-oxides (TiO₂, Nb₂O₅, V₂O₅ catalysts) during processing promotes efficient H₂ molecule dissociation into atomic hydrogen at the alloy surface, further boosting reaction kinetics, storage efficiency, and low-temperature performance.

The metal hydride powders can serve stationary hydrogen storage applications (renewable energy buffering, backup power), mobile hydrogen systems (fuel cell vehicles, maritime applications), and niche portable power solutions, offering a safe, compact, and fully reversible hydrogen storage technology operating at near-ambient temperatures and moderate pressures (1-30 bar).

MBN provides custom metal hydride alloy development services to meet specific pressure-temperature requirements, capacity targets, kinetics specifications, and system integration constraints.

PROPERTIES

AB₅-Type Alloys (LaNi₅-based)
Hydrogen capacity        1.3-1.5 wt% (reversible)
Plateau pressure           2-10 bar at 25 °C
Operating temperature  0-80 °C

AB₂-Type Alloys (TiV₂-based, Laves phase)
Hydrogen capacity        1.8-2.2 wt%
Plateau pressure           5-50 bar at 25 °C (tunable)
Operating temperature  20-100 °C

AB-Type Alloys (FeTi-based)
Hydrogen capacity        1.5-1.9 wt%
Plateau pressure           5-20 bar at 25-50 °C
Operating temperature  20-80 °C

Powder Characteristics
Particle size                  10-150 µm (application-optimized)
Grain size                     20-100 nm (nanocrystalline)
Catalyst loading           0.5-3 wt% (optional)
Delivered condition      Activated or as-synthesized