KAlH4
Potassium alanate · Potassium aluminum hydride
KAlH4 is a stable complex metal hydride used primarily as a solid-state material for hydrogen storage.

About Potassium alanate
Potassium alanate is a crystalline complex hydride that serves as a significant candidate for solid-state hydrogen storage. As an insulating material with a wide electronic band gap, it provides a stable framework for the reversible uptake and release of hydrogen gas, which is essential for developing efficient energy carriers.
Its thermodynamic stability on the convex hull distinguishes it as a robust compound within the alanate family. This stability makes it a subject of extensive structural research, with multiple confirmed arrangements reported across various databases, highlighting its importance in materials science for hydrogen economy applications.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Potassium alanate, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Applications
Where Potassium alanate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Potassium alanate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is KAlH4?
KAlH4 is a stable complex metal hydride used primarily as a solid-state material for hydrogen storage.
What is KAlH4 used for?
What is the band gap of KAlH4?
Is KAlH4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is KAlH4 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of KAlH4 are known?
What elements does KAlH4 contain?
Where does the data for KAlH4 come from?
How It Compares
Within the hydrogen storage hydrides class.
Within the class of hydrogen storage hydrides, KAlH4 occupies a distinct position compared to simpler binary hydrides like LiH or MgH2. While binary hydrides often require extreme conditions for hydrogen cycling, the complex structure of KAlH4 allows for more nuanced kinetic and thermodynamic tuning, positioning it as a more versatile alternative to simpler metal hydrides in high-density storage research.
Related Compounds
Other Hydrogen Storage Hydrides in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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