Hydrogen storage material and method for making

Abstract

A material for storage and retrieval of hydrogen is provided. The material comprises a matrix material and a metallic catalyst disposed within the matrix material, the catalyst comprising at least one metal component and at least one Group 13 element, wherein the catalyst comprises a disordered phase. The hydrogen storage material has a hydrogen desorption rate of at least about 3 weight percent per hour at a temperature of about 150° C. A method for making the material is also provided. The method comprises The method comprises providing a metallic catalyst comprising at least one metal component and at least one Group 13 element, wherein the catalyst comprises a disordered phase; providing a matrix material; and homogenizing the catalyst with the matrix material to form a material comprising (i) 43the matrix material and (ii) the catalyst disposed within the matrix material.

1 . A method for making a material, the method comprising: 
 providing a metallic catalyst comprising at least one metal component and at least one Group 13 element, wherein the catalyst comprises a disordered phase;    providing a matrix material; and    homogenizing the catalyst with the matrix material to form a material comprising (i) a matrix material and (ii) said catalyst disposed within the matrix material.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said disordered phase comprises a disordered face-centered cubic phase.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said metallic catalyst comprises at least 60 percent by volume of said disordered phase.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said catalyst consists essentially of said disordered phase.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal component comprises at least one transition metal element.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one transition metal element is at least one material selected from the group consisting of titanium, vanadium, iron, niobium, zirconium, yttrium, and scandium.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one Group 13 element comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal component comprises titanium and the at least one Group 13 element comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the metallic catalyst comprises a disordered phase of titanium aluminide.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said titanium aluminide comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of TiAl 3 , TiAl, and Ti 3 Al.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the metallic catalyst comprises 
 providing a primary metal; and    transforming the primary metal into the metallic catalyst.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein providing the primary metal comprises providing a material comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a transition metal element, a Group 13 element, and combinations and compounds. thereof.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein providing the primary metal comprises providing a material selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, titanium aluminide, and combinations of any of the foregoing.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the primary metal comprises titanium and aluminum in a predetermined molar ratio.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the molar ratio, in terms of moles aluminum to moles titanium, is in the range from about 0.01:1 to about 100:1.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the molar ratio, in terms of moles aluminum to moles titanium, is in the range from about 0.01:1 to about 3:1.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the molar ratio, in terms of moles aluminum to moles titanium, is about 3:1.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the primary metal comprises TiAl 3 .  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein transforming comprises inducing a phase transformation within the primary metal to form the disordered phase of the catalyst.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein inducing comprises subjecting the primary metal to at least one environmental condition selected from the group consisting of stress, strain, and heat.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein transforming comprises subjecting the primary metal to at least one operation selected from the group consisting of ball milling, grinding, shot peening, mixing, crushing, swaging, extruding, cold working, quenching, condensing, sputtering, thermal spraying, rapid solidification, atomization, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein transforming comprises ball milling the primary metal for at least 2 hours.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the matrix material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of a hydride, a metal, a semi-metal, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the hydride comprises a material having the chemical formula A n (MH z ) x , wherein 
 A is at least one element selected from the group consisting of elements from Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12;    M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of the Group 13 elements;    n is a number in the range from about 1 to about 3;    z is a number in the range from about 4 to about 6; and    x a number in the range from about 1 to about 6.    
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein M comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein n is about 1 and z is about 4.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the hydride comprises sodium alanate.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein n is about 3 and z is about 6.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the hydride comprises Na 3 AlH 6 .  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the matrix material comprises a combination of the hydride and aluminum.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the hydride comprises Na 3 AlH 6 .  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the hydride comprises sodium hydride.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the metal comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of the Group 13 elements and the first-row transition metal elements.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the metal comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the matrix material comprises sodium hydride and aluminum.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the metallic catalyst comprises providing an amount of catalyst of up to about 10 mole percent relative to the amount of matrix material.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the amount of catalyst is in the range from about 0.1 to about 2 mole percent relative to the amount of matrix material.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the catalyst comprises providing a powder having a mean particle size of up to about 1 micrometer.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the mean particle size is less than about 100 nanometers.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the mean particle size range is less than about 20 nm.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein homogenizing comprises subjecting a mixture of the catalyst and the matrix material to at least one operation selected from the group consisting of ball milling, grinding, shot peening, mixing, crushing, swaging, extruding, cold working, quenching, condensing, sputtering, thermal spraying, rapid solidification, atomization, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein homogenizing comprises ball milling for at least about 15 minutes.  
   
   
       43 . The material made in accordance with the method of  claim 1 .  
   
   
       44 . A method for making a material, the method comprising: 
 providing a primary metal comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, TiAl 3 , and combinations of any of the foregoing;    ball-milling the primary metal to form a metallic catalyst, wherein the metallic catalyst consists essentially of a disordered face-centered cubic phase of titanium aluminide;    providing a matrix material comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of a hydride, aluminum, and combinations thereof; and    ball milling the matrix material with the catalyst to form a material comprising (i) a matrix material and (ii) said catalyst disposed within the matrix material.    
   
   
       45 . The material made in accordance with the method of  claim 44 .  
   
   
       46 . A hydrogen storage material comprising: 
 a matrix material; and    a metallic catalyst disposed within said matrix material, said catalyst comprising at least one metal component and at least one Group 13 element, wherein said catalyst comprises a disordered phase;    wherein said hydrogen storage material has a hydrogen desorption rate of at least about 3 weight percent per hour at a temperature of about 150° C.    
   
   
       47 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein said disordered phase comprises a disordered face-centered cubic phase.  
   
   
       48 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein said metallic catalyst comprises at least 60 percent by volume of said disordered phase.  
   
   
       49 . The material of  claim 48 , wherein said catalyst consists essentially of said disordered phase.  
   
   
       50 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein the at least one metal component comprises at least one transition metal element.  
   
   
       51 . The material of  claim 50 , wherein the at least one transition metal element is at least one material selected from the group consisting of titanium, vanadium, iron, niobium, zirconium, yttrium, and scandium.  
   
   
       52 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein the at least one Group 13 element comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       53 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein the at least one metal component comprises titanium and the at least one Group 13 element comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       54 . The material of  claim 53 , wherein the metallic catalyst comprises a disordered phase of titanium aluminide.  
   
   
       55 . The material of  claim 54 , wherein said titanium aluminide comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of TiAl 3 , TiAl, and Ti 3 Al.  
   
   
       56 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein the matrix material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of a hydride, a metal, a semi-metal, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       57 . The material of  claim 56 , wherein the hydride comprises a material having the chemical formula A n (MH z ) x , wherein 
 A is at least one element selected from the group consisting of elements from Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12;    M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of the Group 13 elements;    n is a number in the range from about 1 to about 3;    z is a number in the range from about 4 to about 6; and    x a number in the range from about 1 to about 6.    
   
   
       58 . The material of  claim 57 , wherein M comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       59 . The material of  claim 58 , wherein n is about 1 and z is about 4.  
   
   
       60 . The material of  claim 59 , wherein the hydride comprises sodium alanate.  
   
   
       61 . The material of  claim 57 , wherein n is about 3 and z is about 6.  
   
   
       62 . The material of  claim 61 , wherein the hydride comprises Na 3 AlH 6 .  
   
   
       63 . The material of  claim 56 , wherein the matrix material comprises a mixture of a hydride and a metal.  
   
   
       64 . The material of  claim 63 , wherein the metal comprises aluminum.  
   
   
       65 . The material of  claim 46 , wherein the metallic catalyst is present in said hydrogen storage material an amount of up to about 10 mole percent relative to the amount of matrix material.  
   
   
       66 . The material of  claim 65 , wherein the amount of catalyst is in the range from about 0.1 to about 2 mole percent relative to the amount of matrix material.  
   
   
       67 . A hydrogen storage material comprising: 
 a catalyst disposed in a matrix material, wherein said catalyst consists essentially of a disordered phase of titanium aluminide, and    said matrix material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of a hydride, a metal, a semi-metal, and combinations thereof,    wherein said hydrogen storage material has a hydrogen desorption rate of at least about 3 weight percent per hour at a temperature of about 150° C.