  This work proposes an effective thermal activation method with low technical
effort for industrially produced titanium-iron-manganese powders (TiFeMn) for
hydrogen storage. In this context, the influence of temperature and particle
size of TiFeMn on the activation process is systematically studied. The results
obtained from this investigation suggest that the activation of the TiFeMn
material at temperatures as low as 50 {\deg}C is already possible and that an
increase to 90 {\deg}C strongly reduces the incubation time for activation,
i.e. the incubation time of the 90 {\deg}C/90 {\deg}C sample is about 0.84 h
while ~ 277 h is required for the 50 {\deg}C/50 {\deg}C sample. Selecting
TiFeMn particles of larger size also leads to significant improvements in the
activation performance of the investigated material. The proposed activation
routine makes it possible to overcome the oxide layer existing on the compound
surface, which acts as a diffusion barrier for the hydrogen atoms. This
activation method induces further cracks and defects in the powder granules,
generating new surfaces for hydrogen absorption with greater frequency, and
thus leading to faster sorption kinetics in the subsequent
absorption-desorption cycles.
