Catalytic effect of Al₃Ti on the reversible dehydrogenation of NaAlH₄

Al₃Ti was directly utilized as catalyst precursor to examine its catalytic activity in the reversible dehydrogenation of NaAlH₄. It was observed that Al₃Ti possessed considerable catalytic effect on the de-/hydriding reactions of NaAlH₄. The catalytic enhancement by Al₃Ti doping significantly increased with increasing ball-milling time. Moreover, it was noted that dehydriding kinetics and cycling performance of the Al₃Ti-doped NaAlH₄ were highly dependent on the starting material, 1:1 NaH/Al mixture or NaAlH₄. The combined property and phase examinations suggest that Al₃Ti may act as active species to catalyze the reversible de-/hydrogenation of NaAlH₄.