Hydrogen absorption at room temperature in nanoscale titanium benzene complexes

Room temperature gravimetric measurements of hydrogen absorption in nanoscale titanium-benzene complexes formed through reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in an ultra-high vacuum chamber are reported. For complexes synthesized under the conditions of low benzene pressure (35 millitorr) a 6% by weight absorption is observed. This is in agreement with recent calculations based on density functional theory. For samples synthesized under higher benzene pressures a systematic degradation of the hydrogen absorption is observed similar to that reported earlier by us for transition metal ethylene complexes.