Hydrogen Storage in VN_x-H_y Thin Films

Viktor Bryk¹, Aleksey Guglya^1*, Aleksandr Kalchenko¹, Ivan Marchenko¹, Yuriy Marchenko¹, Elena Solopikhina (Melnikova)¹, Victor Vlasov¹, Evgeniy Zubarev²

¹National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology”, Kharkov, Ukraine.
²National Technical University “Kharkov Polytechnic Institute”, Kharkov, Ukraine.

DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1102228                

Abstract

Vanadium or its alloy-based hydrides are intensively studied at the moment with regard to their use as hydrogen absorbents. Most experiments were carried out using “bulk” materials. This paper uses ion beam-assisted deposition technology (IBAD) to create thin-film nanocrystalline VN_x-H_y hydrogen storages. The transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the initial stages of the film formation. The main mechanisms of the formation of intergranular pores in nanogranular structures have been established. The interrelation of the parameters of the IBAD and those of film structure has been shown. The obtained data allowed for the explanation of the mechanisms of hydrogen absorption and desorption by thin films. It was shown that the availability of branched network of intergranular pores allows VN_x-H_y structures to accumulate hydrogen within a few minutes at a pressure of 0.5 MPa. Hydrogen in amount of up to 2.55 wt% is retained in the films of 3 μm thick at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The hydrogen desorption starts at 100℃.

Keywords

Nanocrystalline Structures, Hydrogen, Absorption, Storage, Thin Films, Ion-Beam Assisted Deposition

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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