Improved the physical and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of Mg2Ni-type alloys by substituting Ni with Co and melt spinning

In this paper, melt-spinning technology was used for preparing Mg20Ni10.xCo5 (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) hydrogen storage alloys. The influences of both the Co substitution and the melt spinning on the the physical and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys were investigated. The XRD, SEM and TEM characterization exhibits that the as-spun Co-free alloy holds a typical nanocrystalline structure, whereas the as-spun alloys substituted by Co display a nanocrystalline and amorphous structure, confirming that the substitution of Co for Ni facilitates the glass formation in the Mg2Ni-type alloy. The Co substitution gives rise to forming secondary phase MgCo2 without altering the Mg2Ni major phase of the alloys. The measurement of the physical and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys shows that both the melt spinning and the substitution of Co for Ni markedly improve the physical hydriding and dehydriding kinetics and the electrochmeical kinetics (HRD) of the alloys.