The(Mg24Ni10Cu2)100-x Nd x(x=0, 5, 10, 15, 20) alloys with nanocrystalline and amorphous structures were prepared by melt spinning technology. The structures of the as-cast and spun alloys were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM). The effects of Nd content and spinning rate on the structures and hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys were investigated. The results show that the as-spun Nd-free alloy displays an entire nanocrystalline structure, whereas the as-spun Nd-added alloys hold nanocrystalline and amorphous structures, suggesting that the addition of Nd facilitates the glass forming of the alloys. Both the Nd-addition and the melt spinning significantly improve the gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys. The addition of Nd and melt spinning enhance the diffusion ability of hydrogen atoms in the alloy, but both of them impair the charge-transfer reaction on the surface of the alloy electrode, which makes the high rate discharge ability(HRD) of the alloy electrode first mount up and then go down with the growing Nd content and spinning rate.
The partial substitution of M （M=Sm, Nd, Pr） for La was performed in order to ameliorate the electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of RE–Mg–Ni-based A2B7-type electrode alloys. The La0.8–xMxMg0.2Ni3.35Al0.1Si0.05 （M=Sm, Nd, Pr;x=0-0.4） electrode alloys were fabricated by casting and annealing and their microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The major phases （La, Mg）2Ni7 with the hexagonal Ce2Ni7-type structure and LaNi5 with the hexagonal CaCu5-type structure make up the basic microstructure of the experimental alloys. The discharge capacities of the as-cast and annealed alloys all gain their maximum values with the M （M=Sm, Nd, Pr） content varying. The electrochemical cycle stability of the as-cast and annealed alloys clearly rises with the M （M=Sm, Nd, Pr） content growing. Furthermore, the electrochemical kinetics of the alloys, including the high rate discharge ability, charge transfer rate, limiting current density and hydrogen diffusion coefficient, all present a increase trend at first and then decrease with the rising of M （M=Sm, Nd, Pr） content.
In order to investigate the influences of the stoichiometric ratio of La/Mg （increasing La and decreasing Mg on the same mole ratio） on the structure and electrochemical performances of the La-Mg-Ni-based A2B7-type electrode alloy, the as-cast and the annealed ternary Lao.8＋xMgo.2_xNi3.5 （x=0-0.05） electrode alloys were prepared. The characterization of electrode alloys by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） shows that all the as-cast and the annealed alloys hold two major phases of （La,Mg）2Ni7 and LaNi5 as well as a residual phase of LaNi3. Moreover, the increase of La/Mg ratio brings on a decline of （La,Mg）2Ni7 phase and a rise of LaNi5 and LaNi3 phases. The variation of La/Mg ratio gives rise to an evident change of the electrochemical performances of the alloys. The discharge capacities of the as-cast and the annealed alloys evidently decrease with growing the La/Mg ratio, while the cycle stabilities of the alloys visibly augment under the same condition. Furthermore, the high rate discharge ability （HRD）, the electrochemical impedance spectrum （EIS）, the Tafel polarization curves, and the potential step measurements all indicate that the electrochemical kinetic properties of the alloy electrodes increase with the La/Mg ratio rising.
