Current Research Progress in Magnesium Borohydride for Hydrogen Storage (A review)

Hydrogen storage in solid-state materials is believed to be a most promising hydrogen-storage technology for high efficiency, low risk and low cost. Mg(BH4)2 is regarded as one of most potential materials in hydrogen storage areas in view of its high hydrogen capacities (14.9 ​wt% and 145–147 ​kg ​cm−3). However, the drawbacks of Mg(BH4)2 including high desorption temperatures (about 250 ​°C–580 ​°C), sluggish kinetics, and poor reversibility make it difficult to be used for onboard hydrogen storage of fuel cell vehicles. A lot of researches on improving the dehydrogenation reaction thermodynamics and kinetics have been done, mainly including: additives or catalysts doping, nanoconfining Mg(BH4)2 in nanoporous hosts, forming reactive hydrides systems, multi-cation/anion composites or other derivatives of Mg(BH4)2. Some favorable results have been obtained. This review provides an overview of current research progress in magnesium borohydride, including: synthesis methods, crystal structures, decomposition behaviors, as well as emphasized performance improvements for hydrogen storage.