On the van der Pauw's method applied to the measurement of low thermal conductivity materials.

The electrical van der Pauw's method has recently been extended to measure the thermal conductivity of different elements and compounds. This technique provides an easy way to determine the sample in-plane thermal conductivity by avoiding the influence of the thermal contact resistances. However, the reported calculated error values appear to be underestimated when dealing with the materials with low thermal conductivity (<5 W/Km) at room temperature. The causes of this underestimation are investigated in this communication and it has been found that they are due to the drastic influence of conduction heat losses through the thermo-resistance wires as well as the resulting modification of the sample temperature map. Both phenomena lead to experimental values of the sample thermal conductivity, which are systematically higher than the tabulated ones. The magnitude of this systematic error is ∼100% dealing with the samples of macroscopic dimensions, and low thermal conductivity indicated that the obtained accurate measurements can be quite challenging.

Reaction pathways for hydrogen desorption from magnesium hydride/hydroxide composites: bulk and interface effects.

This manuscript investigates the thermal desorption behaviour of MgH(2)/Mg(OH)(2) composites by means of thermal desorption spectroscopy. Besides the H(2)O and H(2) desorption events due to Mg(OH)(2) dehydration and MgH(2) decomposition reactions, respectively, two additional H(2) desorption peaks arise at lower temperatures. These peaks are related to solid-state reactions between magnesium hydride and magnesium hydroxide through different channels. The low temperature H(2) peak ( approximately 150 degrees C) is related to reaction between a H atom diffusing from MgH(2) and a surface OH group, whereas the intermediate temperature H(2) peak ( approximately 350 degrees C) is due to an interface reaction between the hydride and the hydroxide. The present work supports the theory that the onset of the H(2) desorption coming from MgH(2) decomposition is controlled by an incubation process, consisting in the formation of catalytically active vacancies at the MgO/Mg(OH)(2) surface by dehydration. Possible ways to improve the H(2) desorption kinetics from MgH(2) are discussed in the light of the results obtained.

Ultrasonic irradiation as a tool to modify the H-desorption from hydrides: MgH(2) suspended in decane.

Effects of ultrasonic irradiation on magnesium hydride (MgH(2)) suspended in decane were investigated with the purpose of improving its hydrogen desorption process. Firstly, we have found that the presence of MgH(2) improves the sonolysis of decane enhancing the amount of hydrogen evolved during the sonication process. The sonicated-MgH(2) maintains its microstructural properties practically unaltered but a drastic reduction of the particle size of MgH(2) (down to approximately 20mum) as well as a high pressure MgH(2) phase are observed. However, no substantial modifications of H-kinetic properties of hydride occur as is determined by thermal desorption measurements. This could be attributed to decomposition of decane during sonication which leads to the formation of carbon compounds that hinder the thermal decomposition of MgH(2).