Electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of as-cast and annealed La0.8-xNdxMg0.2Ni3.15Co0.2Al0.1Si0.05 (x=0-0.4) alloys

The La-Mg-Ni-based A(2)B(7)-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)(2)Ni-7 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 (S-100) 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.