Solid State NMR Studies of the Aluminum Hydride Phases

Several solid state NMR techniques including magic-angle-spinning (MAS) and multiple-quantum (MQ) MAS experiments have been used to characterize various AlH3 samples. MAS-NMR spectra for the H and Al nuclei have been obtained on a variety of AlH3 samples that include the βand γ-phases as well as the most stable α-phase. While the dominant components in these NMR spectra correspond to the aluminum hydride phases, other species were found that include Al metal, molecular hydrogen (H2), as well as peaks that can be assigned to Al-O species in different configurations. The occurrence and concentration of these extraneous components are dependent upon the initial AlH3 phase composition and preparation procedures. Both the β-AlH3 and γ-AlH3 phases were found to generate substantial amounts of Al metal when the materials were stored at room temperature while the α-phase materials do not exhibit these changes.