Abstract
LiBH
4 was incorporated into an activated carbon (AC) scaffold using a chemical impregnation method. Confinement of LiBH
4 within the carbon nanopores was found to significantly improve both the hydrogen sorption kinetics and thermodynamics, compared to the bulk hydride. The LiBH
4/AC sample starts to release hydrogen from just 220
°C, which is 150
°C lower than the onset dehydrogenation temperature of bulk LiBH
4. The dehydrogenation rate of the LiBH
4/AC sample was one order of magnitude faster than that of bulk LiBH
4. The temperature and hydrogen pressure conditions required for restoring the hydride were also significantly reduced when LiBH
4 was incorporated into AC. Preliminary study showed that the dissociation hydrogen pressure of LiBH
4 could be enhanced by around one order of magnitude upon incorporating the hydride into AC. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption analyses were used to confirm the nanostructure of LiBH
4 in the AC scaffold.