Optical Cell for Combinatorial In Situ Raman Spectroscopic Measurements of Hydrogen Storage Materials at High Pressures and Temperatures

Author(s)

Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow
Wilbur S. Hurst
Sesha S. Srinivasan
James E. Maslar

Document Type

Article

Abstract

An optical cell is described for high-throughput backscattering Raman spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen storagematerials at pressures up to 10 MPa and temperatures up to 823 K. High throughput is obtained by employing a 60 mm diameter × 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–MgH₂hydrogen storage systems at elevated temperatures and pressures are reported.

Publication Info

Published in Review of Scientific Instruments, Volume 82, Issue 3, 2011, pages #033103-.

Rights

©Review of Scientific Instruments 2011, AIP (American Institute of Physics).

Hattrick-Simpers, J. R., Hurst, W. S., Srinivasan, S. S., & Maslar, J. E. (10 March 2011). Optical Cell for Combinatorial In Situ Raman Spectroscopic Measurements of Hydrogen Storage Materials at High Pressures and Temperatures. Review of Scientific Instruments, 82 (3), #033103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3558693