The research on complex hydrides for hydrogen storage was initiated by the discovery of Ti as a hydrogen sorption catalyst in NaAlH 4 by Boris Bogdanovic in 1996. A large number of new complex hydride materials in various forms and combinations have been synthesized and characterized, and the knowledge regarding the properties of complex hydrides and the synthesis methods has grown enormously since then. A significant portion of the research groups active in the field of complex hydrides is collaborators in the International Energy Agreement Task 32. This paper reports about the important issues in the field of complex hydride research, i.e. the synthesis of borohydrides, the thermodynamics of complex hydrides, the effects of size and confinement, the hydrogen sorption mechanism and the complex hydride composites as well as the properties of liquid complex hydrides. This paper is the result of the collaboration of several groups and is an excellent summary of the recent achievements.

The hydrogen sorption pathways of alkali alanates were analyzed and a mechanism for the catalytic hydrogen sorption was developed. Gibbs free energy values of selected intermediate steps were calculated based on experimentally determined thermodynamic data (enthalpies and entropies) of individual hydrides: MAlH4, M3AlH6, and MH. The values of the activation energies, based on the intermediates M(+), H(-), MH, and AlH3, were obtained. The mechanism of the catalytic activity of Ti is finally clarified: we present an atomistic model, where MAlH4 desorbs hydrogen through the intermediates M(+), H(-), MH, and AlH3 to the hexahydride M3AlH6 and finally the elemental hydride MH. The catalyst acts as a bridge to transfer M(+) and H(-) from MAlH4(-) to the neighboring AlH4(-), forming AlH6(3-) and finally isolated MH, leaving AlH3 behind, which spontaneously desorbs hydrogen to give Al and 1.5H2. The proposed mechanism is symmetric in the direction of hydrogen desorption as well as readsorption processes.

An energy economy based on renewable energy requires massive energy storage, approx. half of the annual energy consumption. Therefore, the production of a synthetic energy carrier, e.g. hydrogen, is necessary. The hydrogen cycle, i.e. production of hydrogen from water by renewable energy, storage and use of hydrogen in fuel cells, combustion engines or turbines is a closed cycle. Electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and represents a mature technology in the power range up to 100 kW. However, the major technological challenge is to build electrolyzers in the power range of several MW producing high purity hydrogen with a high efficiency. After the production of hydrogen, large scale and safe hydrogen storage is required. Hydrogen is stored either as a molecule or as an atom in the case of hydrides. The maximum volumetric hydrogen density of a molecular hydrogen storage is limited to the density of liquid hydrogen. In a complex hydride the hydrogen density is limited to 20 mass% and 150 kg/m(3) which corresponds to twice the density of liquid hydrogen. Current research focuses on the investigation of new storage materials based on combinations of complex hydrides with amides and the understanding of the hydrogen sorption mechanism in order to better control the reaction for the hydrogen storage applications.