Combinations of V2C and Ti3C2 MXenes for Boosting the Hydrogen Storage Performances of MgH2

Two-dimensional vanadium carbide (V2C) and titanium carbide (Ti3C2) MXenes were first synthesized by exfoliating V2AlC or Ti3AlC2 and then introduced jointly into magnesium hydride (MgH2) to tailor the hydrogen desorption/absorption performances of MgH2. The as-prepared MgH2-V2C-Ti3C2 composites show much better hydrogen storage performances than pure MgH2. MgH2 with addition of 10 wt % of 2V2C/Ti3C2 initiates hydrogen desorption at around 180 °C; 5.1 wt % of hydrogen was desorbed within 60 min at 225 °C, while 5.8 wt % was desorbed within 2 min at 300 °C. Under 6 MPa H2, the dehydrided MgH2-2V2C/Ti3C2 can start to recover hydrogen at room temperature, and 5.1 wt % of H2 is obtained within 20 s at a constant temperature of 40 °C. The reversible capacity (6.3 wt %) does not decline for up to 10 cycles, which shows excellent cycling stability. The addition of 2V2C/Ti3C2 can remarkably lower the activation energy for the hydrogen desorption reaction of MgH2 by 37% and slightly reduce the hydrogen desorption reaction enthalpy by 2 kJ mol-1 H2. It was demonstrated that the combination of V2C and Ti3C2 promotes the hydrogen-releasing process of MgH2 compared with addition of only V2C or Ti3C2, while Ti3C2 impacts MgH2 more significantly than V2C in the hydrogen absorption process of MgH2 at ambient temperatures. A possible mechanism in the hydrogen release and uptake of the MgH2-V2C-Ti3C2 system was proposed as follows: hydrogen atoms or molecules may preferentially transfer through the MgH2/V2C/Ti3C2 triple-grain boundaries during the desorption process and through the Mg/Ti3C2 interfaces during the absorption process. Microstructure studies indicated that V2C and Ti3C2 mainly act as efficient catalysts for MgH2. This work provides an insight into the hydrogen storage behaviors and mechanisms of MgH2 boosted by a combination of two MXenes.