Polyetherimide-LaNi5 composite films for hydrogen storage applications

Abstract This study investigates the preparation of polyetherimide (PEI) – LaNi5 composites films for hydrogen storage. Prior to the polymer addition, LaNi5 was ball-milled at different conditions (250, 350, and 450 RPM) and annealed at 500 °C for 1 h under vacuum. The composites were produced with BM-LaNi5-350 (PEI/LaNi5-350) and annealed BM-LaNi5-350 (PEI/LaNi5-350-TT). Membranes were successfully produced through solvent casting assisted by an ultrasonic bath. The particles dispersion and the film morphology did not change after hydrogenation cycles. In the H2 sorption experiments at 43 °C and 20 bar, the films stored H2 without incubation time; both samples reached a capacity of ~0.6 wt%. The H2 sorption kinetics of PEI/LaNi5-350 was comparable to that of BM-LaNi5-350, whereas PEI/LaNi5-350-TT presented significantly slower kinetics. LaNi5 oxidation was hindered by PEI, showing that it can be explored to improve metal hydrides air resistance. The results demonstrated that PEI films filled with LaNi5 are promising materials for hydrogen storage.