Study on Hydrogen Storage Materials

Complex hydrides have been heavily investigated as a hydrogen storage material, particularly for future vehicular applications. The present major problem of such complex hydrides is their relatively high hydrogen desorption temperature (Td). In order to find a predominant parameter for determining Td, we have investigated internal nuclear magnetic fields in several complex hydrides, such as, lithium and sodium alanates, borohydrides, and magnesium hydrides, with a muon spin rotation and relaxation (μ+SR) technique. At low temperatures, the μ+SR spectrum obtained in a zero external field (ZF) exhibits a clear oscillation due to the formation of a three spin 1/2 system, HμH, besides Mg(BH4)2 and Sc(BH4)2. Such oscillatory signal becomes weaker and weaker with increasing temperature, and finally disappears above around room temperature. However, the volume fraction of the HμH signal to the whole asymmetry at 5 K is found to be a good indicator for Td in borohydrides. At high temperatures, on the contrary, th...