supercritical-nitrogen-processing-for-purification-reactive-porous

Supercritical Nitrogen Processing for the Purification of Reactive Porous Materials

Supercritical fluid extraction and drying methods are well established in numerous applications for the synthesis and processing of porous materials. ...

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Hydrogen desorption from borohydrides is often accompanied by the release of diborane. The amount of diborane released as a byproduct during the decomposition of borohydrides scales inversely with the borohydride stability, which in turn depends on the electronegativity of the corresponding cation. We present a model based on the difference between the symmetric and asymmetric assembly of B(2)H(6) units at the surface. The origin of this reaction is the degree of distortion of the BH(4)(-) anions in the bulk, hitherto depending on the degree of ionization of the cation. A practical measure of the distortion is the range in which the stretching vibration modes appear, which is the difference in the energy of the stretching vibrations of hydrogen atoms with maximum different bonding lengths (Badger's rule). We propose from this relation that the diborane released from the surface of the relatively unstable LiZn(2)(BH(4))(5) is formed from a recombination of BH(2)(δ+) and BH(4)(δ-) units. Ultra high vacuum mass spectroscopy measurements support the presented model and clarify the decomposition of stable borohydrides, such as LiBH(4). The sublimation of borohydrides in UHV competes with their decomposition.

Diborane release and structure distortion in borohydrides.

The transformation from the fatuous consumption of fossil energy towards a sustainable energy circle is most easily marketable by not changing the underlying energy carrier but generating it from renewable energy. Hydrocarbons can be principally produced from renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide collected by biomass. However, research is needed to increase the energetic and economic efficiency of the process. We demonstrate the enhancement of CO2 methanation by sorption enhanced catalysis. The preparation and catalytic activity of sorption catalysts based on Ni particles in zeolites is reported. The functioning of the sorption catalysis is discussed together with the determination of the reaction mechanism, providing implications for new ways in catalysis.

Sorption enhanced CO2 methanation.

Compounds of interest for chemical hydrogen storage at near ambient conditions are specifically tailored to be relatively unstable and thereby desorb H2 upon heating. Their decomposition must be performed in the absence of impurities to achieve clean dehydrogenation products, which is particularly challenging for an emerging class of microporous complex hydride materials, such as γ-phase Mg(BH4)2, which exhibits high surface area and readily adsorbs (sometimes undesired) molecular species. We present a novel strategy toward the purification of γ-Mg(BH4)2 using supercritical nitrogen drying techniques, (1) showing that clean hydrogen can be released from Mg(BH4)2 under mild conditions and (2) clarifying the origin of diborane among the decomposition products of stable borohydrides, a topic of critical importance for the reversibility and practical applicability of this class of hydrogen storage compounds. This technique is also widely applicable in the pursuit of the high-purity synthesis of other porous, reactive compounds, an exciting future class of advanced functional materials.

Article	Year
Diborane release and structure distortion in borohydrides. Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)\| PubMed ID: 23047162	2013
Sorption enhanced CO2 methanation. Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP\| PubMed ID: 23673365	2013
Supercritical N2 processing as a route to the clean dehydrogenation of porous Mg(BH4)2. Journal of the American Chemical Society\| PubMed ID: 24869629	2014

Elsa Callini

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