Thermogravimetric analysis of hydrogen production of Al–Mg–Li particles and water

• Studying the reacting processes of Al–Mg–Li particles with H2O vapor below 1030 °C.
• Adding Li and Mg into Al showed a good hydrolysis performance and 89% of Al reacted.
• Three stages in reacting process corresponded to the reacting of Li, Mg, and Al.
• The products of hydrolysis were LiAlO2, Li2Al4O7, Al2O3 and MgO.
• Special promotion mechanisms of both Li and Mg on Al–H2O reaction were discovered.

Hydrogen is a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel with high calorific value. Aluminum is a good option for working as hydrolyzing metal, and aluminum–water reactions at medium–high temperature serve as a good energy supply in the use of both hydrogen and released heat, which leads to high energy efficiency. This study focused on hydrogen production characteristics and the chemical kinetics of aluminum particles with the addition of magnesium and lithium below 1030 °C. The experiments were conducted with THERMO CAHN's Thermax500 pressurized thermogravimetric analyzer. The Al content was settled at 85%, and the Mg and Al contents were adjusted from 0% to 15%. The addition of Li and Mg into Al resulted in good hydrolysis performance, and the ratio of the reacted Al to the total Al was over 50% and even reached up to 89%. The reaction process showed an obvious three-stage feature, and the three stages primarily corresponded to the reactions of Li, Mg, and Al. The products of hydrolysis in our tests were LiAlO2, Li2Al4O7, Al2O3, and MgO. The different promotion mechanism of Li and Mg on the reaction of Al–H2O resulted in a hydrolysis performance that did not change monotonously with Li content.