Crystal structures of aluminum-based hydrides

The interest of hydrogen as the future energy is that it is a clean energy carrier, most abundant element in the universe, the lightest fuel, richest in energy per unit mass and unlike electricity it can be easily stored. Hydrogen gas is the most promising fuel for various applications. Hydrogen is already being used as the fuel of choice for space programs around the world. Metal hydrides are a fascinating class of compounds, because the small mass and size of hydrogen and its medium electronegativity cause a large flexibility in terms of metal–ligand interactions. These manifest itself in a vast variety of possible compositions, chemical bonding, crystal structures and physical properties. In this review, we presented the structural details of all up-to-date known Al-based hydrides.