Optical cell for combinatorial in situ Raman spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen storage materials at high pressures and temperatures

Published

March 10, 2011

Author(s)

Jason Hattrick-Simpers, Wilbur S. Hurst, James E. Maslar, Sesha S. Srinivasan

Abstract

An optical cell is described for high-throughput backscattering Raman spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen storage materials at pressures up to 10 MPa and temperatures up to 823 K. High-throughput is obtained by employing a 60 mm diameter x 9 mm thick sapphire window, with a corresponding 50 mm diameter unobstructed optical aperture. To reproducibly seal this relatively large window to the cell body at elevated temperatures and pressures, a gold o-ring is employed. The sample holder-to–window distance is adjustable, making this cell design compatible with optical measurement systems incorporating lenses of significantly different focal lengths, e.g., microscope objectives and single element lenses. For combinatorial investigations, up to 19 individual powder samples can be loaded into the optical cell at one time. This cell design is also compatible with thin film samples. To demonstrate the capabilities of the cell, in situ measurements of the Ca(BH4)2 and nano LiBH4 – LiNH2 – MgH2 hydrogen storage systems at elevated temperatures and pressures are reported.

Citation

Review of Scientific Instruments

Volume

82

Issue

3

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3558693

Keywords

hydrogen storage, in situ spectroscopy, complex hydride materials

Citation

Hattrick-Simpers, J. , Hurst, W. , Maslar, J. and Srinivasan, S. (2011), Optical cell for combinatorial in situ Raman spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen storage materials at high pressures and temperatures, Review of Scientific Instruments, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3558693 (Accessed October 7, 2025)