Influence of particle size on electrochemical and gas-phase hydrogen storage in nanocrystalline Mg

Nanocrystalline Mg powders of different particle size were obtained by inert gas evaporation and studied during electrochemical and gas-phase hydrogen cycling processes. The samples were compared to dehydrided samples obtained by mechanical milling of MgH2 with and without 2 mol% Nb2O5 as catalyst. The hydrogen overpotential of the pure Mg, which is a measure of the hydrogen evolution at the electrode surface, was observed to be reduced with smaller particle sizes reaching values comparable to samples with Nb2O5 additive. On the other hand gas-phase charging experiments showed the capacity loss with smaller particle sizes due to oxidation effects. These oxidation effects are different depending on the synthesis method used and showed a major influence on the hydrogen sorption kinetics.