Hydrides based on magnesium and intermetallic compounds provide a viable solution to the challenge of energy storage from renewable sources, thanks to their ability to absorb and desorb hydrogen in a reversible way with a proper tuning of pressure and temperature conditions. Therefore, they are expected to play an important role in the clean energy transition and in the deployment of hydrogen as an efficient energy vector. This review, by experts of Task 40 ‘Energy Storage and Conversion based on Hydrogen’ of the Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme of the International Energy Agency, reports on the latest activities of the working group ‘Magnesium- and Intermetallic alloys-based Hydrides for Energy Storage’. The following topics are covered by the review: multiscale modelling of hydrides and hydrogen sorption mechanisms; synthesis and processing techniques; catalysts for hydrogen sorption in Mg; Mg-based nanostructures and new compounds; hydrides based on intermetallic TiFe alloys, high entropy alloys, Laves phases, and Pd-containing alloys. Finally, an outlook is presented on current worldwide investments and future research directions for hydrogen-based energy storage.

Ni/ZnO nano-sponges have been successfully synthesized through optimized annealing of Ni/Zn-based organic framework (Ni/Zn-MOF). The annealed MOF provides the stable carbon structure with 3D interconnection and prevents structural collapse during the charging and discharging process. The annealing causes the incorporation of intrinsic Ni³⁺ in the surface of NiO nanoparticles, providing more reaction active sites. The oxygen vacancies in ZnO and heterostructure interfaces between NiO and ZnO promote the charge transformation. Based on the aforementioned advantages, the Ni/ZnO nanocomposites exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performances for supercapacitors. The specific capacitance can reach to 807 F·g⁻¹ at 1 A·g⁻¹ in the studied electrodes. After 5,000 cycles at 10 A·g⁻¹, the cyclic stability remains excellent at 86% of the initial capacitance. Moreover, the as-prepared asymmetric supercapacitor exhibits a high energy density of 30.6 W·h·kg⁻¹ at power density of 398 W·kg⁻¹. This study is expected to provide new insights into exploring the potential mechanism of catalyst action.