Our research focuses on the development of new light weight metal hydrides for hydrogen storage, materials for high temperature heat storage and the application of ball milling procedures for the synthesis of new compounds.
EFRE project funded by NRW
The main research is the synthesis and characterization of new materials for the storage of hydrogen and heat. The focus is on complex aluminum hydride compounds, which are materials with high hydrogen storage capacities. Our aim is the optimization of doped-NaAlH4 systems for fuel cell applications and the development of new materials useable as potential new hydrogen storage materials. A tank system filled with NaAlH4 for a HT-PEM fuel cell application is shown in the picture (developed together with IUTA and ZBT).
Metal hydrides can not only store high amounts of hydrogen, they have also the property to store huge amounts of heat. In this case hydrogen is only a process gas and not consumed during the heat storage or release.
Light weight metal hydrides based on magnesium can be used as heat storage materials at temperatures up to 550°C. Therefore they can store huge amounts of heat for e.g. solar thermal power plants. Over the daytime the high temperature metal hydride is decomposed through solar heat and releases hydrogen. The hydrogen is temporarily stored in a gas tank or in a low temperature metal hydride. During the night the stored heat can be recovered from the reaction of the magnesium metal with hydrogen. Our aim is the optimization and demonstration of heat storage units and materials for this application.
The synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds can often be simplified with mechanical activation. Solvents are not necessary, the reaction time is often reduced and completely unknown compounds can be synthesized. Reactions under gas pressure (up to 300 bar) can de done directly in a ball mill with in-situ observation of the reaction conditions by a telemetric data logging system.
The picture shows the evolution of the hydrogen pressure and the temperature during the hydrogenation of Ti-doped NaAlH4. Our intention is the development of new synthetic procedures through mechanical activation.
Dr. Balcerzak, Mateusz
+49(0)208/306-2334
balcerzak((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
Bodach, Alexander
+49(0)208/306-2035
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Dürr, Marvin
+49(0)208/306-2344
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Dr. Felderhoff, Michael
+49(0)208/306-2450
felderhoff((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
Herrmann, Bastian
+49(0)208/306-2337
herrmann((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
Liu, Xiaoran
+49(0)208/306-2431
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Marques, Felipe
+49(0)208/306-2337
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Miron, Angel
miron((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
Peinecke, Kateryna
+49(0)208/306-2344
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Dr. Urbanczyk, Robert
Gastwissenschaftler
+49(0)208/306-2344
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Wagner, Christian
Wang, Fei
+49(0)208/306-2338
fwang((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
Winkelmann, Frederik
+49(0)208/306-2369
winkelmann((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
Woeste, Anna-Lena