Borohydride enables hydrogen 'reversibility' for the first time

To achieve this, researchers from the Materials Energy Research Laboratory in nanoscale (MERLin) at UNSW synthesised nanoparticles of sodium borohydride and encased these inside nickel shells.

According to a statement, their ‘core-shell’ nanostructure has demonstrated hydrogen storage properties, including the release of energy at much lower temperatures than previously observed.

‘No one has ever tried to synthesise these particles at the nanoscale because they thought it was too difficult and couldn’t be done. We’re the first to do so and to demonstrate that energy in the form of hydrogen can be stored with sodium borohydride at practical temperatures and pressures,’ said Dr Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou from the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW.

Considered a major fuel of the future, hydrogen could be used to power buildings, portable electronics and vehicles, but this application hinges on practical storage technology.

Borohydrides (including lithium and sodium compounds) are known to be effective storage materials but it was believed that once the energy was released it could not be reabsorbed. This perceived ‘irreversibility’ means there has been little focus on sodium borohydride.