Effects of Ca substitution and surface treatment on electrochemical performances of Ml_(1.0-x) Ca_xNi_(4.0) Co_(0.6) Al_(0.4) hydrogen storage alloy electrodes

The influences of Ca substitution for Ml and surface treatment on electrochemical performances of Ml 1.0- x Ca x Ni 4.0 Co 0.6 Al 0.4 hydrogen storage alloy electrode were investigated. Ca substitution with x <0.2 for Ml could improve its discharge capacity, but Ca substitution with x >0.2 could decrease the capacity. It was also found that Ca substitution deteriorates the electrocatalytic activity, high rate dischargeability and cycling durability of the alloy electrode. In order to improve these properties of Ml 1.0- x Ca x Ni 4.0 Co 0.6 Al 0.4 alloy electrode, the alloy was treated in 6 mol/L KOH+0.02 mol/L KBH 4 solution. The results showed that the surface treatment improves the electrochemical performances such as the electrocatalytic activity, high rate dischargeability and cycling durability of the alloy electrode. :The influences of Ca substitution for Ml and surface treatment on electrochemical performances of Ml 1.0- x Ca x Ni 4.0 Co 0.6 Al 0.4 hydrogen storage alloy electrode were investigated. Ca substitution with x <0.2 for Ml could improve its discharge capacity, but Ca substitution with x >0.2 could decrease the capacity. It was also found that Ca substitution deteriorates the electrocatalytic activity, high rate dischargeability and cycling durability of the alloy electrode. In order to improve these properties of Ml 1.0- x Ca x Ni 4.0 Co 0.6 Al 0.4 alloy electrode, the alloy was treated in 6 mol/L KOH+0.02 mol/L KBH 4 solution. The results showed that the surface treatment improves the electrochemical performances such as the electrocatalytic activity, high rate dischargeability and cycling durability of the alloy electrode.

High-temperature electrochemical performance and phase composition of Ti_(0.7) Zr_(0.5) V_(0.2) Mn_(1.8-x)Ni_x hydrogen storage electrode alloys

The rapid development of electric vehicles demands the development of high performance nickel metal hydride battery that is able to endure high temperature. The discharge properties of Ti 0.7 Zr 0.5 V 0.2 Mn 1.8- x Ni x ( x =0.4, 0.8, 1.1, 1.4, 1.7)hydrogen storage alloys was investigated and its phase composition was analyzed using X ray diffraction. The results show that the cycling life was improved as the content of nickel increases. When x =0.4, 0.8, 1.1 and 1.4, the main phase is MgZn 2 type C14 Laves phase and the second one is cubic TiNi phase. When x =1.7, the Laves phase structure disappears. EDAS analysis shows that the increase of nickel content is effective in suppressing the dissolution of vanadium component in alloys. [

ELECTRODE PERFORMANCES OF MELT-SPINNED AB_2 TYPE Zr-BASED HYDROGEN STORAGE ALLOYS

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Characteristics of multi-component Ml-based hydrogen storage alloys and their hydride electrodes

A series of multi-component M1-based hydrogen storage alloys witha cobalt atomic ratio of 0.40-0.75 were prepared. The electrochemicalproperties under different charge-discharge conditions and PCTcharaceristics measured by electrochemical method were investigated.The addition of other alloying elements for partial substitution ofCo low- ers the hydrogen equilibrium pressure and discharge capacity,but improves the cycling stability and makes the alloys keep nearlythe same rate discharge capability and high-temperature dischargecapability as those of the compared alloy. The reasons werediscussed.

Electrode properties and phase composition of Ti_(0.5)Ni_(0.25)Al_(0.25) hydrogen storage alloys and theoretical simulation

Ti0.5Al0.25Ni0.25 alloy prepared by vacuum induction melting was studied.The phase composition was analyzed with X-ray technique and EDS analysis,and its electrochemical properties were investigated at various temperatures.Electrochemical reaction kinetic parameters were also studied with proper electrochemical techniques.The influence of the secondary corrosion reaction on the anodic linear polarization measurement was also analyzed by theoretical simulation.The results show that,proper ball-milling with nickel powders is beneficial to electrochemical performance.The theoretical simulation proves that,the existence of the side reaction can disturb the measurement of electrochemical reaction kinetic parameters.

Surface Modification of AB_2 and AB_5 Hydrogen Storage Alloy Electrodes by the Hot-Charging Treatment

The effect of the hot-charging treatment on the performance of AB(2) and AB(5) hydrogen storage alloy electrodes was investigated. The result showed that the treatment can markedly improve the voltage plateau ratio (VPR), the high rate discharge ability (HRDA), the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen DH and the discharge capacity of the AB2 hydrogen storage alloy electrode. The SEM analysis showed that the hot-charging treatment brings about a Ni-rich surface due to the dissolution of Zr oxides. It is also very helpful for the improvement of the kinetic properties of AB2 hydrogen storage alloy electrode because the microcracking of the surface results in fresh surface. This can be the basic modification treatment for NiMH battery used in electric vehicles (EVs) in the future. But for AB(5) type alloys, the treatment has the disadvantage of impairing the comprehensive electrochemical properties, because the surface of the alloy may be corroded during the treatment. The mechanism of the surface modification of the electrode is also proposed.

Influence of addition of Cu(OH)_2 to KOH alkaline electrolyte on electrochemical properties of La_2Mg_(0.9)Al_(0.1)Ni_(7.5)Co_(1.5) hydrogen storage alloy electrode

The influence of the addition of Cu(OH)2 to 6 mol/L KOH alkaline electrolyte on the electrochemical properties of La2Mg0.9Al0.1Ni7.5Co1.5 hydrogen storage alloy electrode was investigated by electron probe X-ray microanalysis(EPMA),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and electrochemical measurements. EPMA micrographs and XRD patterns show that the surface of the hydride electrode is plated by metal copper film. The thickness and compactness of Cu film increase with the increment of charge-discharge cycle number. The copper film of the hydride electrode surface can keep the hydrogen storage alloy particle in the electrode interior from oxidizing availably. The addition of Cu(OH)2 to alkaline electrolyte lowers the activation property and the high rate dischargeability of the La2Mg0.9Al0.1Ni7.5Co1.5 hydride electrode,but has no negative effect on the maximum discharge capacity of the hydride electrode. Moreover,it is effective to improve the cyclic stability of the hydride electrode utilizing electrodeposit Cu film on the La2Mg0.9Al0.1Ni7.5Co1.5 hydride electrodes surface.

Influence of Cr or Co doping on electrode properties of V_(2.1) TiNi_(0.5) Hf_(0.05) hydrogen storage alloy

The microstructures and electrode properties of Cr or Co-doped V2.1 TiNi0.5 Hf0.05M 0.113 （M=Cr, Co） hydrogen storage alloys were investigated. It is found that all alloys consist of a main phase of V-based solid solution with b.c.c. structure and a secondary phase of C14-type Laves phase with a three-dimensional network structure. After the doping of Cr or Co into V 2.1TiNi 0.5Hf 0.05, the abundance and unit cell volume of the main phase decrease, and those of the secondary phase increase. The electrochemical measurements show that the discharge capacities of Cr-doped V2.1 TiNi0.5 Hf0.05Cr 0.113 alloy and Co-doped V2.1 TiNi0.5 Hf0.05Co 0.113 alloy are less than that of V2.1 TiNi0.5 Hf0.05 alloy, but their cycle stability and high-rate dischargeability are improved markedly. The results show that Cr or Co doping into V2.1 TiNi0.5 Hf0.05 alloy is significantly beneficial for the cycling stability.

Electrochemical performances of Mg_(45)M_5Co_(50)(M=Pd, Zr) ternary hydrogen storage electrodes

In order to improve the discharge capacity and cyclic life of Mg-Co-based alloy, ternary Mg45M5Co50 （M=Pd, Zr） alloys were synthesized via mechanical alloying. TEM analysis demonstrates that these alloys all possess body-centered cubic （BCC） phase in nano-crystalline. Electrochemical experiments show that Mg45Zr5Co50 electrode exhibits the highest capacity （425 mA·h/g） among the Mg45M5Co50 （M=Mg, Pd, Zr） alloys. And Mg45Pd5Co50 electrode lifts not only the initial discharge capacity （379 mA·h/g）, but also the discharge kinetics, e.g., exchange current density and hydrogen diffusion ability from that of Mg50Co50. It could be concluded that the electrochemical performances were enhanced by substituting Zr and Pd for Mg in Mg-Co-based alloy.

Electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of as-cast and annealed La_(0.8-x)Nd_xMg_(0.2)Ni_(3.15)Co_(0.2)Al_(0.1)Si_(0.05)(x=0-0.4)alloys

The La-Mg-Ni-based A2B7-type La0.8-xNdxMg0.2Ni3.15Co0.2Al0.15 （x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4） electrode alloys were prepared by casting and annealing. The influences of partial substitution of Nd for La on the structure and electrochemical performance of the as-cast and annealed alloys were investigated. It was found that the experimental alloys consist of two major phases, （La, Mg）2Ni7 phase with the hexagonal Ce2Ni7-type structure and LaNi5 phase with the hexagonal CaCu5-type structure, as well as some residual phase LaNi3 and NdNi5. The discharge capacity and high rate discharge ability （HRD） of the as-cast and annealed alloys first increase and then decrease with Nd content growing. The as-cast and annealed alloys （x=0.3） yield the largest discharge capacities of 380.3 and 384.3 mA·h/g, respectively. The electrochemical cycle stability of the as-cast and annealed alloys markedly grows with Nd content rising. As the Nd content increase from 0 to 0.4. The capacity retaining rate （S100） at the 100th charging and discharging cycle increases from 64.98% to 85.17% for the as-cast alloy, and from 76.60% to 96.84% for the as-annealed alloy.

Phase structure and electrochemical properties of La_(1.7+x)Mg_(1.3-x)(NiCoMn)_(9.3)(x=0-0.4) hydrogen storage alloys

The phase structure and electrochemical properties of La1.7＋xMg1.3-x（NiCoMn）9.3（x=0-0.4） alloys were investigated. The XRD analysis reveals that the alloys consist of LaNi5 phase and other phases, such as LaMg2Ni9 phase （PuNi3 structure） and La4MgNi19 phases （Ce5Co19＋Pr5Co19 structure, namely A5B19 type）. With the increase of the x value, the LaMg2Ni9 phase fades away and La4MgNi19 phases appear, while the abundance of LaNi5 phase firstly increases and then decreases. At the same time, the cell volume of LaNi5 phase and LaMg2Ni9 phase decreases. The electrochemical measurement shows that alloy electrodes could be activated in 4-5 cycles, and with the increase of the x value, the maximum discharge capacity gradually increases from 330.9 mA-h/g （x=0） to 366.8 mA-h/g （x=0.4）, but the high-rate dischargeability （HRD） and cyclic stability （S） decrease somewhat （x=0.4, HRD600=82.32%, S100=73.8%）. It is found that the HRD is mainly controlled by the electrocatalytic activity on the alloy electrode surface, and the decline of cyclic stability is due to the appearance of A5B19 type phase with larger hydrogen storage capacity, which leads to larger volume expansion and more intercrystalline stress and then easier pulverization during charging/discharging.

Effect of stoichiometry and Cu-substitution on the phase structure and hydrogen storage properties of Ml-Mg-Ni-based alloys

To improve the electrochemical properties of rare-earth-Mg-Ni-based hydrogen storage alloys, the effects of stoichiometry and Cu-substitution on the phase structure and thermodynamic properties of the alloys were studied. Nonsubstituted Ml0.80Mg0.20（Ni2.90Co0.50-Mn0.30Al0.30）x （x=0.68, 0.70, 0.72, 0.74, 0.76） alloys and Cu-substituted Ml0.80Mg0.20（Ni2.90Co0.50-yCuyMn0.30Al0.30）0.70 （y=0, 0.10, 0.30, 0.50） alloys were prepared by induction melting. Phase structure analysis shows that the nonsubstituted alloys consist of a LaNi5 phase, a LaNi3 phase, and a minor La2Ni7 phase;in addition, in the case of Cu-substitution, the Nd2Ni7 phase appears and the LaNi3 phase vanishes. Ther-modynamic tests show that the enthalpy change in the dehydriding process decreases, indicating that hydride stability decreases with in-creasing stoichiometry and increasing Cu content. The maximum discharge capacity, kinetic properties, and cycling stability of the alloy electrodes all increase and then decrease with increasing stoichiometry or increasing Cu content. Furthermore, Cu substitution for Co ame-liorates the discharge capacity, kinetics, and cycling stability of the alloy electrodes.

Effect of praseodymium substitution for lanthanum on structure and properties of La_(0.65-x)Pr_xNd_(0.12)Mg_(0.23)Ni_(3.4)Al_(0.1)(x=0.00–0.20) hydrogen storage alloys

In order to investigate the effect of substituting La with Pr on structural and hydrogen storage properties of La-Mg-Ni system （AB3.5-type） hydrogen storage alloys, a series of La0.65-xPrxNd0.12Mg0.23Ni3.4Al0.1（x=0, 0.10, 0.15, 0.2） hydrogen storage alloys were prepared. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS） analyses revealed that two alloys （x=0.0 and 0.10） were composed of （La,Mg）2（Ni,Al）7 phase, La（Ni,A1）5 phase and （La,Mg）Ni2 phase, while other alloys （x=0.15 and 0.20） consisted of （La,Mg）2（Ni,A1）7 phase, La（Ni,A1）5 phase, （La,Mg）Ni2 phase and （La,Mg）（Ni,A1）3 phase. All alloys showed, however, only one pressure plateau in P-C isotherms. The Pr/La ratio in alloy composition influenced hydrogen storage capacity and kinetics properties. Electrochemical studies showed that the discharge capacity decreased from 360 mAh/g （x=-0.00） to 335 mAh/g （x=-0.20） as x increased. But the high-rate dischargeability （HRD） of alloy electrodes increased from 26% （x=0.00） to 56% （x=-0.20） at a discharge current density of Id=1800 mA/g. Anode polarization measurements were done to further understand the electrochemical kinetics properties after Pr substitution.

Effect of Rapid Quenching on Microstructures and Electrochemical Performances of La_2Mg(Ni_(0.85)Co_(0.15))_9M_(0.1)(M=B, Cr) Hydrogen Storage Alloys

The La-Mg-Ni-system （PuNi3-type） La2Mg （Ni0.85 Co0.15 ）9M0.1 （ M = B, Cr） hydrogen storage etectrode alloys were prepared by casting and rapid quenching. The electrochemical performances and microstructures of the as-cast and quenched alloys were determined and measured. The effects of rapid quenching on the microstructures and electrochemical properties of the alloys were investigated in detail. The obtained results show that the alloys are composed of the （La, Mg） Ni3 phase （PuNi3-type structure） and the LaNi5 phase, as well as the small amount of the LaNi2 phase. A trace of the Ni2B phase exists in the as-cast alloy containing boron, and the Ni2B phase in the alloy nearly disappears after rapid quenching. The relative amount of each phase in the alloys depends on the quenching rate. The rapid quenching technique can greatly improve the electrochemical performance of the alloy, and the effect of rapid quenching on the activation performances of the alloys is minor. Rapid quenching enhances the cycle stability of the alloy, and the cycle life of the alloy increases with the increase of the quenching rate.

Mechanism of RE on the Electrochemical Properties of Multicomponent Hydrogen Storage Alloys of RENi^5 Type

The electrochemical properties of RE(NiCoMnTi) 5 hydrogen storage alloy with different composition of rare earth(RE=La 1-x-y-z Ce x Nd y Pr z ) components were systematically examined To display the effect of rare earth elements on the electrode properties, the comprehensive electrochemical property graphs including the discharge capacity, high dischargeability and cycling life of alloy electrode vs quasi ternary rare earth composition of multicomponent alloys were drawn by first dividing the component elements into two groups with fixed ratios between the two groups and then using a computer program for engineering graphics By the optimizaiton of the La∶Ce∶Nd∶Pr ratio, the alloy RE(NiCoMnTi) 5 shows a maximum capacity of 290 mAh/g and good cycling stability The higher capacity was due to the larger unit cell volume of the alloy with RE=La 0 4 Ce 0 1 Nd 0 3 Pr 0 2 , as determined by X ray diffraction analysis

Low-Co rare-earth-based hydrogen storage alloy

On the basis of typical high Co MI(Lanthanum rich mischmetal) based hydrogen storage alloy, a series oflow Co or Co free alloys have been prepared by means of partial or full replacement of Co by a combination of other elements. The microstructures, p c T (pressure concentration temperature) characteristics and electrochemical propertiesunder different charge discharge conditions of the alloys have been investigated. Compared with the high Co alloy, thelow Co or Co free alloys have the lower hydrogen equilibrium pressure and discharge capacity, but have the nearly samehigh rate and high temperature discharge capability, and better charge discharge cycling stability. The reason is revealedby SEM, XPS and XRD results. \[

INFLUENCE OF Fe DOPING ON ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF Ml(Ni,Co,Mn,Ti)_5 HYDROGEN STORAGE ALLOY

ＩＮＦＬＵＥＮＣＥＯＦＦｅＤＯＰＩＮＧＯＮＥＬＥＣＴＲＯＣＨＥＭＩＣＡＬＰＲＯＰＥＲＴＩＥＳＯＦＭｌ（Ｎｉ，Ｃｏ，Ｍｎ，Ｔｉ）５ＨＹＤＲＯＧＥＮＳＴＯＲＡＧＥＡＬＬＯＹ①ＣｈｅｎＬｉｘｉｎａｎｄＬｅｉＹｏｎｇｑｕａｎＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＭａｔｅｒ...

Study on Structure and Electrochemical Properties of La_( 0.7)Mg_(0.3)Ni_ (2.98)Co_ (0.52) Hydrogen Storage Alloy

A hydrogen storage electrode alloy La_ 0.7Mg_ 0.3Ni_ 2.98Co_ 0.52 was obtained by electromagnetism inductive melting of alloys such as La, Mg, Ni and Co. XRD analyses indicate that the microstructure of the prepared alloy was composed of LaNi_5 phase as matrix and another unknown phase as secondary phase. In this experiment, the highest discharge capacity of alloy is 378 mAh·g -1 at 293 K, which is 20% higher than the discharge capacity of LaNi_5-type alloys. The alloy was activated after two cycles and the discharge potential is high and stable, and more than 90% of the discharge time is in a voltage higher than 1.2 V. However, the cycle stability is poor as practical application, to improve the cycle life of the alloy becomes the key factor. Moreover, the loose structure of the alloy is maybe one reason that makes the cycle stability capacity of the alloy decrease by SEM.

Geometric Effects of La_(1+x)Mg_(2-x)Ni_9 (x=0.0~1.0) Ternary Alloys on Their Hydrogen Storage Capacities

Structural analysis was made using X-ray diffraction (XRD) Rietveld refinement on a series of La1+xMg2-xNi9 (x=0.0-1.0) ternary alloys. Results showed that each of La1+xMg2-xNi9 alloys was a PuNi3-type structure stacked by LaNi5 and (La, Mg) Ni2 blocks. Electrochemical tests revealed that discharge abilities of these La-Mg-Ni ternary alloys mainly depended on their atomic distances between (La, Mg) and Ni, which could be modified by varying the atomic ratios of La/Mg.

Study on hydrogen diffusion behavior in MlNi_(3.75) Co_(0.65) Mn_(0.4) Al_(0.2) alloy electrode by chronoamperometry

Hydrogen diffusion coefficients in MlNi 3.75 Co 0.65 Mn 0.4 Al 0.2 alloy electrode as a function of state of charge (SOC) or temperature were determined by chronoamperometry. It is found that hydrogen diffusion coefficient decreases with the increase of SOC or the decrease of temperature. The activation energy for hydrogen diffusion in the alloy electrode with 50%SOC is evaluated to be 19.9?kJ/mol.