Guidelines for developing amide-based hydrogen storage materials

An effective method for developing amide-based high-performance hydrogen storage materials is to prepare appropriate combinations of amides and hydrides. We have proposed that a mixture of an amide with a low decomposition temperature and a hydride showing rapid reaction to ammonia would be an appropriate combination. According to this proposal, the mixture of Mg(NH2)(2) (Mg amide) and LiH (Li hydride) was investigated. The dehydriding temperature of the mixture of Mg(NH2)(2) and 4.LiH is lower than that of the mixture of LiNH2 (Li amide) and 2-LiH. A method for preventing ammonia release is increasing the LiH ratio in the mixtures, which results in a reduction in the amount of desorbed hydrogen. The homogeneous dispersion between Mg(NH2)2 and LiH might be also an important factor for preventing ammonia release.