A novel nanoporous Mg-Li material for efficient hydrogen generation

Hydrogen generation material is a new kind of energy material that can supply hydrogen by reacting with water and is drawing more and more attention with the development of hydrogen economy. In this study, a novel nanoporous magnesium-lithium material prepared by a physical vapor deposition method exhibits an excellent hydrogen generation property. It generates hydrogen efficiently and quickly with saltwater, reaching a hydrogen generation amount of 962 mL g−1 and hydrogen generation rates of 60 mL g−1 min−1, 109 mL g−1 min−1, 256 mL g−1 min−1 and 367 mL g−1 min−1 at 0 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C, respectively. The nanoporous magnesium-lithium material is composed of a solid solution phase with a magnesium-lithium atomic ratio of 17:3. By synchrotron radiation analysis, the sizes of the nanopores are in the range of 100 nm ∼ 600 nm with an average size of 280 nm, and the porosity is calculated to be ∼42.4%. The improved hydrogen generation property is attributed to the nanoporous structure with a high specific surface area, and the addition of lithium element which acts as active sites in hydrogen generation process.