Electrochemical Hydrogen Storage Characteristics of the as-Cast and Annealed La0.8-xPrxMg0.2Ni3.35Al0.1Si0.05 (x=0~0.4) Electrode Alloys

The electrode alloys with the chemical compositions of La0.8-xPrxMg0.2Ni3.35Al0.1Si0.05 (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) were prepared by casting and annealing. The effects of Pr substitution on the structure and electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the alloys were investigated. The results indicate that the as-cast and the annealed alloys consist of Ce2Ni7-type hexagonal (La, Mg)2Ni7 phase and CaCu5-type hexagonal LaNi5 phase as well as a little residual phase LaNi3. The substitution of Pr for La observably affects the electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the alloys. The discharge capacity and the high rate discharge ability (HRD) of the as-cast and the annealed alloys first increase and then decline with the growing of Pr content. The as-cast and the annealed (x=0.3) alloys yield the largest discharge capacities of 363.1 and 389.7 mAh/g, respectively. The electrochemical cycle stability of the as-cast and the annealed alloys markedly grows with the rising of Pr content. The capacity retaining rate (S100) at 100th charging and discharging cycle is enhanced from 64.96% to 77.94% for the as-cast alloy, and from 72.82% to 91.81% for the as-annealed alloy by raising Pr content from 0 to 0.4