Patent ID: 8764966

Claim:
An electrochemical method for releasing gaseous hydrogen from one or more metal cation-based chemical compounds, the compounds being hydrides, borohydrides, alanates, amides, imides or hydroxides, the compounds comprising one or more metal cations, the method comprising: placing two electrically-conducting electrodes in spaced apart, facing relation and in contact with a non-aqueous electrolyte suitable for ionic conduction of each metal cation; one or both of the electrodes comprising a compacted powder mixture comprising one or more metal cation-based chemical compounds intimately mixed with an electrically conducting material; applying a suitable electrical potential difference between the electrodes to promote a hydrogen-releasing, electro-chemical reaction of the one or more chemical compounds at the one or both electrodes comprising metal cation-based chemical compound(s), the reaction promoting evolution of gaseous hydrogen from the compound-containing electrode(s), with accompanying transport of at least one metal cation through the electrolyte from one or both hydrogen-releasing electrode(s) to the other of the two facing electrodes; and delivering the evolved gaseous hydrogen to a hydrogen-consuming device.