Metal Hydrides

Several metal hydrides have been developed, but none of them satisfy all of these requirements. Some of the more common drawbacks of the presently available materials are (a) hydrogen-to-metal ratios are too low; (b) metals involved are too costly; (c) the absorption or release of hydrogen is difficult, slow, or sensitive to the poisoning phenomena; (d) a significant hysteresis is exhibited. The available materials for hydrogen storage are briefly reviewed and a more detailed overview is given of two classes of materials that are being developed in the author's laboratory, namely, zirconium-based Laves phase intermetallic compound and b.c.c. solid solutions based on niobium.