Recent progress of mechanically activated Mg-based materials to promote hydrogen generation via hydrolysis

• The role of ball milling in improving Mg-based materials hydrolysis are emphasized. • Nanosizing and alloying to promote the poor kinetics and hydrogen yields are explored. • The environmental and economic advantages of Mg-based materials are underscored. • Challenges and perspectives of hydrogen generation via hydrolysis are summarized. Commonly used nonrenewable fossil fuels are major sources of energy; however, they have adverse environmental effects. Hence, environmentally friendly renewable energy resources, such as hydrogen are a prospective candidates to meet energy demands and realizing the hydrogen economy. A major challenge to achieving the hydrogen economy is to develop safe, low-cost and efficient technique to generate hydrogen from a chemical storage medium. High hydrogen storage capacity, abundance, and eco-friendly byproducts are the features of Mg-based materials that has been made it competitive candidates for efficient hydrogen generation. Unfortunately, formation of dense passive layer of Mg(OH) 2 during hydrolysis attributed to the low hydrogen yields and poor kinetics, which is major barriers to the Mg-based materials to generate hydrogen via hydrolysis. In present review, we summarize the recent research progress of hydrogen generation via hydrolytic process of Mg-based materials and effect of nanosizing, mainly focus on the impact of the ball milling technique to activate Mg-based materials by the formation or modification of alloys and addition of catalysts, which may be able to overcome the associated drawbacks and improve the hydrolysis kinetics and hydrogen yields.