A simple approach to metal hydride alloy optimization

Certain metals and related alloys can combine with hydrogen in a reversible fashion, so that on being heated, they release a portion of the gas. Such materials may find application in the large scale storage of hydrogen. Metal and alloys which show high dissociation pressure at low temperatures, and low endothermic heat of dissociation, and are therefore desirable for hydrogen storage, give values of the Hildebrand-Scott solubility parameter that lie between 100-118 Hildebrands, (Ref. 1), close to that of dissociated hydrogen. All of the less practical storage systems give much lower values of the solubility parameter. By using the Hildebrand solubility parameter as a criterion, and applying the mixing rule to combinations of known alloys and solid solutions, correlations are made to optimize alloy compositions and maximize hydrogen storage capacity.