Nanocatalyst doping of Zn(BH4)2 for on-board hydrogen storage

In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of Zn(BH4)2, a new class of complex borohydrides for on-board hydrogen storage. The thermal decomposition of Zn(BH4)2 comprises of not only the evolution of H2, but also an appreciable amount of B–H (borane) compounds. Lowering the decomposition temperature by catalytic doping may lead to negligible release of boranes. An amount of 1.5 mol% nanoNi was estimated and found to be the optimum concentration for nanocatalyst doping of Zn(BH4)2. Significance of the nanoNi doping, lowers the melting and thermal decomposition temperatures (at least 20–40 °C) of Zn(BH4)2 as evidenced from the calorimetric analysis. At these low temperatures, the nanocatalyzed Zn(BH4)2 exhibits reduction in the amount of borane gases released by a factor of 20 as compared to the undoped sample.