Methods for synthesizing alane without the formation of adducts and free of halides
View Patent ↗A process is provided to synthesize an alane without the formation of alane adducts as a precursor. The resulting product is a crystallized α-alane and is a highly stable product and is free of halides.
1. The process of producing α-AlH 3 comprising the steps of:
providing a supply of LiAlH 4 ;
mechanically milling the LiAlH 4 to remove any surface oxide layers;
combining the LiAlH 4 with AlCl 3 to form a dry mixture;
applying a mechanical pressure to the dry mixture;
heating the dry mixture while maintaining the mechanical pressure to a temperature of about 75° C. and in the presence of a dry inert gas;
washing the heated mixture with diethyl ether and THF;
drying the washed mixture with an inert gas, thereby providing an α-AlH 3 of micron sized particles which is free of adduct.
2. The process according to claim 1 wherein said washing step further comprises the step of washing the dry mixture in a step-wise sequence using toluene, diethyl ether, and THF.
3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the resulting α-AlH 3 is free of halides.