Hydrogen Adsorption Study upon Ni/Al2O3 Nano-composite Synthesized by MOCVD Technique

Abstract

The hydrogen adsorption (storage) studies upon M/AI2O3 nano-composite prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique (MOCVD) exploiting single source molecular precursor (SSP) approach were carried out. The Ni/Al2O3nano-composite is prepared in cold walled MOCVD reactor by the decomposition of SSP, [H2Al(OtBu)]2, on a substrate holding Ni(acac)2 powder. The SSP is a reducing agent which reduces Ni+2 to Ni0 and works as source for Al2O3 matrix in which the Ni0 is dispersed. The resulting Ni/Al2O3 nano-composite is characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDX. The hydrogen adsorption (storage) studies are performed using home-made Sievert's type apparatus. The hydrogen storage studies reveal that approximately 2.9% (mass ratio) hydrogen can be stored in the Ni/Al2O3 nano-composite. The results show that Ni/Al2O3 nano-composite can be a potential candidate for hydrogen storage which can be used for onboard fuel purposes.