Nanostructuring of Mg-Based Hydrogen Storage Materials:Recent Advances for Promoting Key Applications

With the depletion of fossil fuels and global warming,there is an urgent demand to seek green,low-cost,and high-efficiency energy resources.Hydrogen has been considered as a potential candidate to replace fossil fuels,due to its high gravimetric energy density(142 MJ kg^(-1)),high abundance(H_(2)O),and environmentalfriendliness.However,due to its low volume density,effective and safe hydrogen storage techniques are now becoming the bottleneck for the"hydrogen economy".Under such a circumstance,Mg-based hydrogen storage materials garnered tremendous interests due to their high hydrogen storage capacity(~7.6 wt%for MgH_(2)),low cost,and excellent reversibility.However,the high thermodynamic stability(ΔH=-74.7 kJ mol^(-1)H_(2))and sluggish kinetics result in a relatively high desorption temperature(>300℃),which severely restricts widespread applications of MgH_(2).Nano-structuring has been proven to be an effective strategy that can simultaneously enhance the ab/de-sorption thermodynamic and kinetic properties of MgH_(2),possibly meeting the demand for rapid hydrogen desorption,economic viability,and effective thermal management in practical applications.Herein,the fundamental theories,recent advances,and practical applications of the nanostructured Mg-based hydrogen storage materials are discussed.The synthetic strategies are classified into four categories:free-standing nano-sized Mg/MgH_(2)through electrochemical/vapor-transport/ultrasonic methods,nanostructured Mg-based composites via mechanical milling methods,construction of core-shell nano-structured Mg-based composites by chemical reduction approaches,and multi-dimensional nano-sized Mg-based heterostructure by nanoconfinement strategy.Through applying these strategies,near room temperature ab/de-sorption(<100℃)with considerable high capacity(>6 wt%)has been achieved in nano Mg/MgH_(2)systems.Some perspectives on the future research and development of nanostructured hydrogen storage materials are also provided.