The Sandia hydrogen storage materials program is focused on the development of lightweight complex metal hydride storage materials that meet or exceed the Department of Energy's 2010 hydrogen storage goals.^† Hydrides are metallic alloys that can absorb hydrogen under pressures and temperatures that are close to ambient conditions, unlike the common storage methods that involve compressing or liquefying the gas.

One of these hydride materials, sodium alanate (NaAlH₄), absorbs nearly 4.5 wt% hydrogen, making it far superior to existing commercial metal hydrides, which have capacities of 1-2 wt%. Sodium alanate is viewed as a model system for developing future hydrogen storage systems.

Sandia researchers are concentrating their efforts on identifying new, novel materials with high hydrogen weight capacities through fundamental modeling, experimental synthesis, and materials characterization, as well as small-scale hydride bed demonstrations. They are collaborating with researchers at top universities, industries, and other national laboratories excelling in the area of complex metal hydrides. Development goals include:

• Improving the kinetics by reactive doping
• Improving the processing techniques for synthesis and doping
• Identifying new materials with higher hydrogen weight capacities
• Determining the thermodynamic properties of new hydride materials

Contact:
Jim Wang, Manager
jcwang@sandia.gov
(925) 294-2786

Ken Wilson, Section Leader
klwilso@sandia.gov
(925) 294-2497

^† By 2010, develop and verify on-board hydrogen storage systems achieving 2 kWh/kg (6 wt%), 1.5 kWh/L, and $4/kWh.