Dehydrogenation Reaction Kinetics of the LiBH4-YH3 Composite Promoted by Various Inert Gas Atmospheres

Abstract

The application of back pressure using inert gases, such as helium, neon and argon, significantly influences the dehydrogenation reaction kinetics of the LiBH4-YH3 composite, even though the inert gases do not participate in the dehydrogenation reaction. While an increase in back pressure generally promotes the reaction kinetics, the ability to promote dehydrogenation reaction kinetics differs for different the gas species. The atomic weight of the inert gas appears to play an important role in determining the ability to promote dehydrogenation reaction kinetics. With increasing atomic weight of the inert gas, the reaction tends to occur at lower pressures with a shorter incubation period.