The Hydrolysis of Ball-Milled Aluminum–Bismuth–Nickel Composites for On-Demand Hydrogen Generation

The hydrolysis of aluminum (Al) is a promising method for on-demand hydrogen generation for low-power proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications. In this study, Al composites were mechanochemically activated using bismuth (Bi) and nickel (Ni) as activation compounds. The main objective...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energies (Basel) 2022-04, Vol.15 (7), p.2356
Main Authors: Davies, Jamey, Du Preez, Stephanus P., Bessarabov, Dmitri G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative energy sources
Alumina
Aluminum
Aqueous solutions
Ball milling
Bismuth
Composite materials
Energy resources
Fuel technology
Hydrogen
hydrogen generation
Hydrogen production
Hydrolysis
nickel
Nickel compounds
Particle physics
Photocatalysis
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Scanning electron microscopy
Water quality
X-ray diffraction
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Summary:The hydrolysis of aluminum (Al) is a promising method for on-demand hydrogen generation for low-power proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications. In this study, Al composites were mechanochemically activated using bismuth (Bi) and nickel (Ni) as activation compounds. The main objective was to determine the effects of Bi and Ni on Al particles during mechanochemical processing, and the hydrolysis activity of the Al-Bi-Ni composites. Successfully formulated ternary Al-Bi-Ni composites were hydrolyzed with de-ionized water under standard ambient conditions to determine the reactivity of the composite (extent of hydrogen production). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that Bi and Ni were distributed relatively uniformly throughout the Al particles, resulting in numerous micro-galvanic interactions between the anodic Al and cathodic Bi/Ni during hydrolysis reaction. The addition of >1 wt% Ni resulted in incomplete activation of Al, and such composites were non-reactive. All successfully prepared composites had near-complete hydrogen yields. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that no mineralogical interaction occurred between Al, Bi, and/or Ni. The main phases detected were Al, Bi, and minute traces of Ni (ascribed to low Ni content). In addition, the effect of the mass ratio (mass Al:mass water) and water quality were also determined.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en15072356