Crystallite sizes of LiH before and after ball milling and thermal exposure

The powder characteristics of lithium hydride (LiH) as a function of high-energy ball milling condition are systematically investigated via quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results obtained from the XRD analysis are compared with those attained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and specific surface area (SSA) analyses. The thermal stability of the ball-milled LiH is also investigated in order to provide physical insights into its cyclic stability in hydrogen sorption and desorption cycles. The results indicate that ball milling is effective in obtaining nano-crystalline LiH powder which is relatively stable with retention of nano-crystals after thermal exposure at 285 °C (equivalent to 0.58Tm) for 1 h. The good thermal stability observed is attributed to the presence of many pores in the agglomerates at the ball-milled condition. These pores effectively prevent crystal growth during the thermal exposure.