Hydrogenation of Magnesium in the Presence of the Ti₂Ni Intermetallide

The hydrogenation of a mechanical 200-mu m mixture of commercial magnesium in the presence of 10-40 wt % Ti2Ni intermetallic compound as a catalytic additive under a high-purity hydrogen pressure of 30 atm and at temperatures of 350-390 degrees C without the use of preliminary high-energy treatment of the reactant mixture has been studied in order to optimize conditions for the hydrogenation of magnesium. It has been found that in a mixture of Mg + 20 wt % Ti2Ni, magnesium is hydrogenated by 95-96% at 370-380 degrees C with a total hydrogen content of 6.2 wt % in the resulting mixture of hydrides. This mixture, as a working substance in reusable high-temperature metal hydride hydrogen batteries at 250-450 degrees C, released high-purity hydrogen (99.999 wt %) for practical use in small-scale and laboratory works.