| Metal hydrides are currently being studied to provide hydrogen for use in fuel cells and for transportation applications. Hydrogen can be stored in chemical compounds at higher density and lower volume than liquid H2 or compressed gas. Thermodynamic properties of metal hydrides differ between bulk and nano-sized particles. Many metal hydrides with useful volumetric and gravimetric capacities have high decomposition temperatures, but when placed in nano-sized frameworks (or templates) desorption and adsorption temperatures can be fine-tuned to meet engineering requirements for real-world systems. Additionally, some metal hydrides have shown a change in the decomposition pathway when infiltrated into these frameworks, thereby reducing the amount of unwanted byproducts, and potentially improving the cyclability of the material. The Temperature Programmed Decomposition Mass Spectrum Residual Gas Analyzer can be used to characterize gas desorption, decomposition temperatures, picogram changes in mass, and ionization energies for a variety of materials and gasses. The goal of the system is to characterize desorption of the hydrogen (including byproduct gasses) and the decomposition of the metal hydrides. The experimental apparatus is composed of four main components: the residual gas analyzer (RGA), the low temperature stage quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), the high temperature heating stage, and two vacuum chambers separated by a small flow hole which allows a direct line-of-site to the RGA. |
