Preparation of AlLi Alloy by Mechanical Milling at Low Li Concentration and Its Reaction with Water for Hydrogen Generation

Research on hydrogen production by chemical methods has focused on combining metals to carry out the hydrolysis reaction under ambient conditions. In particular, aluminum and lithium metals were considered, with lithium used at low concentrations in order to activate aluminum. Under these conditions, the metals can react with water to obtain the maximum hydrogen yield. The main objective of this work was to prepare the lithium−aluminum alloy by mechanical milling and its chemical reaction with water to produce hydrogen under laboratory conditions. A high–energy Spex mill was used for material preparation and the time scheduled for alloys preparation was relatively short. Several techniques were used for its characterization, such as X–ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, gas chromatography, and low-temperature physical adsorption. According to the results, two phases were produced during the milling process when using 5% lithium. The volume of hydrogen generated was measured using a graduated burette. Depending on the volume obtained, the aluminum reacted to generate hydrogen with an efficiency of 95.24%. No additives or catalysts were used in material synthesis or hydrogen production. According to these results, the hydrogen does not require any purification because it is clean hydrogen and can therefore be used directly in fuel cells.