Synthesis of Nanostructured Mg–Ni Alloy and Its Hydrogen Storage Properties

Nanostructured Mg–Ni alloy with the particle size in the range of 40–50 nm was synthesized by the thermal decomposition of bipyridyl complexes of Mg and Ni metals at 773 K for 24 h under dry argon gas ambient. The as-prepared nano-alloy was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for compositional and structural analysis. The alloy exhibited superior hydrogen absorption and desorption behavior with 3.2 wt% absorption within 1 min at 573 K and about 3 wt% desorption within 5–10 min at 573 K. This favorable behavior of Mg–Ni compound for the hydrogen storage is due to the specific nanostructure of the material. The low activation energy values and favorable thermodynamics indicate that the prepared Mg–Ni alloy is an attracting material for hydrogen storage applications.