Ultra-lightweight compositionally complex alloys with large ambient-temperature hydrogen storage capacity

Abstract

In the burgeoning field of hydrogen energy, compositionally complex alloys promise unprecedented solid-state hydrogen storage applications. However, compositionally complex alloys are facing one main challenge: reducing alloy density and increasing hydrogen storage capacity. Here, we report TiMgLi-based compositionally complex alloys with ultralow alloy density and significant room-temperature hydrogen storage capacity. The record-low alloy density (2.83 g cm−3) is made possible by multi-principal-lightweight element alloying. Introducing multiple phases instead of a single phase facilitates obtaining a large hydrogen storage capacity (2.62 wt% at 50 °C under 100 bar of H2). The kinetic modeling results indicate that three-dimensional diffusion governs the hydrogenation reaction of the current compositionally complex alloys at 50 °C. The here proposed approach broadens the horizon for designing lightweight compositionally complex alloys for hydrogen storage purposes.