Ameliorated Hydrogen Storage Kinetics of Mg20Ni7M3 (M=Co, Cu) Alloys by Melt Spinning

Abstract

In order to obtain a nanocrystalline and amorphous structure in the Mg2Ni-type alloy, the melt spinning was applied to fabricate the Mg20Ni7M3 (M=Co, Cu) hydrogen storage alloys. The microstructures of the alloys were characterized by XRD, SEM and HRTEM. The effects of the melt spinning on the gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys were investigated. The results indicate that the as-spun (M=Co) alloys display a nanocrystalline and amorphous structure as spinning rate grows to 20 m/s, while the as-spun (M=Cu) alloys hold an entire nanocrystalline structure even if a limited spinning rate is applied, suggesting that the substitution of Co for Ni facilitates the glass formation in the Mg2Ni-type alloy. The melt spinning remarkably ameliorates the gaseous hydriding and dehydriding kinetics of the alloys. The hydrogen absorption ratio ( ) and hydrogen desorption ratio ( ) are enhanced from 81.9% to 94.7% and from 34.9% to 57.3% for the (M=Co) alloy, and from 57.2% to 92.8% and from 21.6% to 49.6% for the (M=Cu) alloy by raising spinning rate from 0 (as-cast was defined as the spinning rate of 0 m/s) to 30 m/s. Furthermore, the high rate discharge ability (HRD), the limiting current density (IL) and the hydrogen diffusion coefficient (D) of the alloys notably increase with the growing of the spinning rate.