Hydrogen storage behavior in C15 Laves phase compound TiCr2 by first principles

Hydrogen storage in TiCr2 alloy of A B2 type with C15 Laves phase structure has been studied using density functional theory and plane-wave pseudopotential technique. The H atom interacts stronger with Cr atoms than with Ti and tends to occupy the g (2A2B) site due to the largest interstitial space. The g sites together with e (1A3B) sites form a three-dimensional clathratelike network, providing a diffusion pathway for H atoms, and the energy barriers for the H diffusion along these paths were computed. Interaction between two interstitial H atoms inside the TiCr2 lattice can be considered as a screened Coulomb repulsion, which seems to control the maximum hydrogen content in the metal hydrides. The absorption energies and electronic structures of metal hydrides TiCr2 Hx with x=0.5-12 have been computed, and the theoretical maximum hydrogen storage capacity (between 2.6 and 3.8 wt %) agrees with experiments. The effects of the lattice expansion due to hydrogen absorption of different amounts have also been investigated.