"Opportunities for hydridoborates and lanthanide hydrides in energy applications"
Owing to the structural diversity and tunability of hydrides, they have received considerable interest for energy storage and conversion technologies such as hydrogen storage, batteries, thermal energy storage, and superconductors. More specifically, this seminar will focus on the electrochemical properties of boron-hydrogen (BxHy) systems and the behavior of lanthanide hydride (LnHx)
nanoparticles under extreme pressure. For example, the closo-borate anions (i.e. B12H12-2, B10H10-2) are considered weakly coordinating anions (WCA) due to the delocalization of the negative charge on the surface of the anion and relatively low affinity for the associated cations. As a result, they have found utilization as electrolytes for various battery chemistries. The recent experimental confirmation of near room temperature superconductivity in the superhydride, LaH10, has invigorated the investigation of this class of materials. However, in order to achieve this superconductive state, > 100 GPa of pressure must be applied, which eliminates its utility for any practical application. Previous work has demonstrated that nanosizing and nanoconfinement can significantly alter the thermodynamics of hydrogen uptake and release, which suggests that this approach could be utilized to lower the onset pressure of superhydride formation. Our work found that nanoscale LnHx showed unusual phase behavior as a function of pressure compared to the bulk LnHx. This and ongoing research in both topic areas will also be discussed.