In situ hydrogen production from Al–BiCl3 hydrolysis for small-sized fuel cell

Small-sized fuel cell has tremendous potential and broad market prospect in the field of portable devices, but its hydrogen source with compact structure and stable and high purity hydrogen supply remains an issue for commercialization. In this research, a novel in situ hydrogen production material Al–BiCl3 composite is developed via ball milling method, and its hydrogen production performance is evaluated in terms of induction time, storage stability, hydrogen production rate and hydrogen yield. The results demonstrate that Al–BiCl3 has excellent hydrogen production performance and its hydrogen yield can reach 85 % within 2.3 h. During ball milling process, many surface cracks and active surface are produced and some BiCl3 is reduced to metal Bi by Al, resulting in the high hydrolysis activity of Al–BiCl3. Prolonging milling time can promote the formation of surface cracks and Bi, enhancing the activity of Al–BiCl3. The hydrogen production mechanisms of Al–BiCl3 are attributed to pitting and microgalvanic effect between Al and Bi. Taking into account hydrogen production performance, cost and safety, Al-10 wt% BiCl3 milled for 1 h is a suitable and potential in situ hydrogen production material for small-sized fuel cells.