Catalytic effect of Al3Ti on the reversible dehydrogenation of NaAlH4

Al3Ti was directly utilized as catalyst precursor to examine its catalytic activity in the reversible dehydrogenation of NaAlH4. It was observed that Al3Ti possessed considerable catalytic effect on the de-/hydriding reactions of NaAlH4. The catalytic enhancement by Al3Ti doping significantly increased with increasing ball-milling time. Moreover, it was noted that dehydriding kinetics and cycling performance of the Al3Ti-doped NaAlH4 were highly dependent on the starting material, 1:1 NaH/Al mixture or NaAlH4. The combined property and phase examinations suggest that Al3Ti may act as active species to catalyze the reversible de-/hydrogenation of NaAlH4.