Influences of melt spinning on electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg2Ni-type alloys

In order to improve the electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of the Mg₂Ni-type electrode alloys, Mg in the alloy was partially substituted by La, and the nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg₂Ni-type Mg_20−x La _x Ni₁₀ (x=0, 2) alloys were synthesized by melt-spinning technique. The microstructures of the as-spun alloys were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of the experimental alloys were tested. The results show that no amorphous phase is detected in the as-spun Mg₂₀Ni₁₀ alloy, but the as-spun Mg₁₈La₂Ni₁₀ alloy holds a major amorphous phase. As La content increases from 0 to 2, the maximum discharge capacity of the as-spun (20 m/s) alloys rises from 96.5 to 387.1 mA·h/g, and the capacity retaining rate (S ₂₀) at the 20th cycle grows from 31.3% to 71.7%. Melt-spinning engenders an impactful effect on the electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of the alloys. With the increase in the spinning rate from 0 to 30 m/s, the maximum discharge capacity increases from 30.3 to 135.5 mA·h/g for the Mg₂₀Ni₁₀ alloy, and from 197.2 to 406.5 mA·h/g for the Mg₁₈La₂Ni₁₀ alloy. The capacity retaining rate (S ₂₀) of the Mg₂₀Ni₁₀ alloy at the 20th cycle slightly falls from 36.7% to 27.1%, but it markedly mounts up from 37.3% to 78.3% for the Mg₁₈La₂Ni₁₀ alloy.