Hydrogen storage property of as-milled La7RE3Mg80Ni10 (RE = Sm, Ce) alloys

Abstract

Element replacement and mechanical milling are considered as the most effective ways to improve Mg-based alloys in their hydrogen storage performance. The as-milled La7RE3Mg80Ni10 (RE = Sm, Ce) alloys were prepared in this experiment by introducing both element replacement (replacing La by Ce or Sm partially) and mechanical milling technologies. The influence made by different replacing elements on the structure and hydrogen storage property of La7RE3Mg80Ni10 (RE = Sm, Ce) alloys was investigated in detail. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, automatic Sievert apparatus, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry were used to investigate the experimental alloys. The experiment reveals that a nanocrystalline and amorphous structure appears after mechanical milling. Moreover, comparing with the RE = Sm alloy, the RE = Ce alloy has a superior hydrogen desorption property, including larger hydrogen absorption capacity, faster hydriding/dehydriding rate, lower onset hydrogen desorption temperature, and lower dehydrogenation activation energy.