Direct mechanical synthesis and characterisation of Mg2Fe(Cu)H6

Direct synthesis of Mg2FeH6 was carried out by mechanically alloying MgH2 with Fe under both Ar and H2 atmospheres. Both (3MgH2+Fe) and (4MgH2+Fe) mixtures were processed to improve the yield of Mg2FeH6. The (MgH2–Fe–Cu) system was also investigated to modify the properties of the synthesised compound. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis were carried out to determine the phase evolution of the powder mixtures. Field emission SEM clearly showed substantial particle size reduction for the mixture milled under hydrogen. Thermogravimetry (TG) was employed to determine the dehydrogenation kinetics of the milled mixtures.