Magnesium-neodymium based alloys were prepared by induction melting in an alumina crucible under protection of pure argon atmosphere. XRD patterns show that the as-melted Mg-Nd and Mg3NdNi0.1 diffraction peaks can be excellently indexed with D03 structure (BiF3 type, space group Fm3m). The lattice constant of Mg3Nd phase is 0.7390 nm, which is determined by XRD analysis using Cohen′s extrapolation method. The reversible hydrogen storage capacity reaches 1.95wt.% for Mg3Nd and 2.68wt.% for Mg3NdNi0.1. The desorption of hydrogen takes place at 291 ℃ for Mg3Nd and at 250 ℃ for Mg3NdNi0.1. The alloys could absorb hydrogen at room temperature with rapid hydriding and dehydriding kinetics after only one cycle. The enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) of Mg3Nd-H dehydriding reaction were -68.2 kJ·mol-1 H2 and -0.121 kJ·(K·mol)-1 H2 determined by using van′t Hoff plot according to the pressure-composition-isotherms (P-C-I) curve measured at different temperatures. Hydrogen absorption kinetic property of Mg3NdNi0.1 alloy was also measured at room temperature.
Mg-Ni multi-layer thin film was deposited on (001) Si wafer by magnetron sputtering with dual-target. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis reveal that the microstructure of the Mg-Ni multilayer thin film is composed of fine-crystalline Ni layer and crystalline [001] Mg layer. Hydrogenation process of the films were carried out by using the automatic gas reaction controller. The films undergone hydrogenation for different time were analyzed by XRD. The results show that hydrogenation properties of Mg with different preferential orientations are different. (002) diffraction peak of Mg disappears in compensating the appearing of the peaks of Mg2NiH4 and MgH2 in hydrogenation at 533 K, while the (101) peak still remains. The result reveals that the Mg film with (001) preferential orientation absorbs hydrogen at certain temperature easier than that of the Mg film with (101) orientation. This phenomenon can be explained in the view point of the energy change for the nucleation and growth of hydride in different crystal plane.
