Materials 2015, 8(11), 7864-7872; doi:10.3390/ma8115423
Hydrogenation Properties of TiFe Doped with Zirconium
Hydrogen Research Institute, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351 des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Umit B. Demirci
Received: 26 August 2015 / Revised: 11 November 2015 / Accepted: 12 November 2015 / Published: 20 November 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogen Storage Materials)
Abstract
The goal of this study was to optimize the activation behaviour of hydrogen storage alloy TiFe. We found that the addition of a small amount of Zr in TiFe alloy greatly reduces the hydrogenation activation time. Two different procedural synthesis methods were applied: co-melt, where the TiFe was melted and afterward re-melted with the addition of Zr, and single-melt, where Ti, Fe and Zr were melted together in one single operation. The co-melted sample absorbed hydrogen at its maximum capacity in less than three hours without any pre-treatment. The single-melted alloy absorbed its maximum capacity in less than seven hours, also without pre-treatment. The reason for discrepancies between co-melt and single-melt alloys was found to be the different microstructure. The effect of air exposure was also investigated. We found that the air-exposed samples had the same maximum capacity as the argon protected samples but with a slightly longer incubation time, which is probably due to the presence of a dense surface oxide layer. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of a rich Zr intergranular phase in the TiFe matrix, which is responsible for the enhanced hydrogenation properties of these Zr-doped TiFe alloys. View Full-TextKeywords:
TiFe alloy; hydrogen storage; metal hydrides; kinetics; air exposure
▼
Figures
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Gosselin, C.; Huot, J. Hydrogenation Properties of TiFe Doped with Zirconium. Materials 2015, 8, 7864-7872.
Related Articles
Article Metrics
Comments
[Return to top]
Materials
EISSN 1996-1944
Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland
RSS
E-Mail Table of Contents Alert