Improved dehydrogenation performances of LiAlH₄ doped with CuFe₂O₄

This paper investigates the effect of CuFe₂O₄ as an additive on LiAlH₄'s dehydrogenation performance. The introduction of CuFe₂O₄ successfully lowered the initial dehydrogenation temperature of LiAlH₄ to 80 °C, reducing about 65 °C compared to the undoped LiAlH₄. The CuFe₂O₄-doped LiAlH₄ sample released hydrogen more quickly than the undoped LiAlH₄, releasing 3.1 % of the hydrogen within the first 100 min of heating at a constant temperature of 90 °C. For the undoped LiAlH₄, the hydrogen desorbed below 0.5 wt% under the same conditions. Using the Kissinger equation, the calculated activation energy for the CuFe₂O₄-doped LiAlH₄ was 30 and 28 kJ/mol lower than that of milled LiAlH₄ for the first two steps of decomposition. The scanning electron microscope images revealed that the addition of CuFe₂O₄ reduced the particle size of LiAlH₄. The Fe, LiFeO₂, and amorphous Cu or Cu-containing species that were generated in situ during the dehydrogenation process are thought to have a crucial impact on the dehydrogenation properties of LiAlH₄.