Novel material of hydrogen generation

A novel aluminum alloy which could react with water and generate hydrogen at room temperature was prepared via mechanical alloying (MA). The results shows that milling time, additives and mass ratio have a significant role in the hydrogen production rate. The highest hydrogen production rate of alloys reaches 95% of theoretical value. The velocity of hydrogen generation reaches more over 200mL/min for a gram alloy. Active materials (Ga and In) included in the aluminum alloys can be recycled and used repeatedly. The hydrolysis reaction between aluminum and H2O will take place and release a large amount of heat, which contributes to increasing the velocity of hydrogen generation. The reaction products consist of AlO(OH) and hydrogen. © Shanghai Jiaotong University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.