Production of durable bulk materials from TiFe and LaNi5 via laser beam powder bed fusion and pressing: Effect of prior mechanical activation

The laser beam powder bed fusion (LB-PBF) technique was used to prepare bulk metal hydride materials. Adjustment of the synthesis parameters allowed us to produce durable porous samples from ferrotitanium and LaNi5 powders. Their phase composition, morphology, microstructure, heat-conducting, and hydrogen-sorption properties were characterized by a set of methods. Unlike ferrotitanium, LaNi5 samples are not sufficiently stable during hydrogenation-dehydrogenation cycling because of the crystal lattice's very high volume expansion (exceeding 20 %) and related stress. The behavior of LB-PBF samples and those obtained via mechanical activation (MA) in a high-energy ball mill with subsequent pressing was compared. During pressing, accumulated internal energy and high lattice defects concentration in MA samples lead to the formation of contact bridges between bulk material particles. Consequently, they preserve good durability in course of multiple hydrogen absorption-desorption cycles and higher thermal conductivity. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.