TiH2 particles coated with binary Al2O3 and SiO2 layers were prepared, and the effect of the coating layer on gas release characteristics was investigated. The results show that homogeneous and compact coating layers of SiO2/Al2O3 on the surfaces of TiH2 particles can efficiently delay the starting time of hydrogen release from TiH2 powders to approximately 120 s. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.