Hydrogen adsorption study upon ni/al₂o₃ nano-composite synthesized by MOCVD technique

The hydrogen adsorption (storage) studies upon M/AI₂O ₃ nano-composite prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique (MOCVD) exploiting single source molecular precursor (SSP) approach were carried out. The Ni/Al₂O₃nano-composite is prepared in cold walled MOCVD reactor by the decomposition of SSP, [H ₂Al(O^tBu)]₂, on a substrate holding Ni(acac)₂ powder. The SSP is a reducing agent which reduces Ni ⁺² to Ni⁰ and works as source for Al₂O ₃ matrix in which the Ni⁰ is dispersed. The resulting Ni/Al₂O₃ nano-composite is characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDX. The hydrogen adsorption (storage) studies are performed using home-made Sievert's type apparatus. The hydrogen storage studies reveal that approximately 2.9% (mass ratio) hydrogen can be stored in the Ni/Al ₂O₃ nano-composite. The results show that Ni/Al ₂O₃ nano-composite can be a potential candidate for hydrogen storage which can be used for onboard fuel purposes.