Elaboration of Chemical Hydrogen Source Based on Hydrides of Magnesium Alloys

Abstract

In the present work, Mg–Ni–Mm alloys (where Mm is a mixture of rare earth metals) are studied to elaborate a chemical hydrogen source for portable energy systems based on fuel cells characterized by high gravimetric energy density used for unmanned air vehicles and robot systems. Hydrogen generation on demand by hydrolysis of metal hydrides (MgH₂, Mg₂NiH₄) is proposed for the fuel cell power supply because it is the most efficient method characterized by high hydrogen storage density, safety, and low costs of the stored energy. The influence of the composition of alloys on the hydrogen absorption properties and hydrogen generation during hydrolysis is studied.