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Lightweight sodium alanate thin films grown by reactive sputtering

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3236525· OSTI ID:21294325
; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands)
  2. Institut fuer Nanotechnologie, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)
  3. DelftChemTech, MECS, Delft University of Technology, Julianaweg 136, 2628 BL Delft (Netherlands)

We report the preparation of sodium alanate, a promising hydrogen storage material, in a thin film form using cosputtering in a reactive atmosphere of atomic hydrogen. We study the phase formation and distribution, and the hydrogen desorption, with a combination of optical and infrared transmission spectroscopy. We show that the hydrogen desorption, the phase segregation, and the role of the dopants in these complex metal hydrides can be monitored with optical measurements. This result shows that a thin film approach can be used for a model study of technologically relevant lightweight metal hydrides.

OSTI ID:
21294325
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 95; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English