ENHANCEMENT OF HYDROGEN ABSORPTION KINETICS IN THE Mg-Al SYSTEM THROUGH CONTROLLED FORMATION OF THE Mg17Al12 PHASE

This paper presents the results of a study on the Mg-Al system aimed at enhancing hydrogen absorption kinetics through optimization of phase composition and synthesis parameters. To determine the optimal synthesis conditions, three- dimensional thermodynamic modeling was performed using Thermo-Calc, which enabled identification of the temperature–composition stability regions of the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallic phase while preserving the Mg solid solution. Based on these results, mechanical alloying of powders followed by spark plasma sintering at 350 ℃ was carried out. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the experimentally obtained phase composition is consistent with the predicted results. Samples containing an optimal fraction of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ (30 wt.%) exhibited a twofold increase in hydrogen absorption rate compared to pure Mg at 300 ℃ and a pressure of 20 bar. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining thermodynamic modeling with high-intensity synthesis techniques for the development of solid-state hydrogen storage materials with improved kinetic performance.

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