Abstract
An AB 2 -type alloy ZrMn 0.6 V 0.2 Co 0.1 Ni 1.2 was sintered with Ag powder to form a durable pellet. The aim is to fabricate a metal hydride electrode that can be rapidly charged with hydrogen gas and then discharged as an anode for Ni-hydride battery in electrolyte. The alloy in the pellet maintains the C15 Laves phase structure without forming a second phase. For the pellets Ag/AB 2 = 2.75 and 3, they retain their integrity after both gas-phase and electrochemical hydrogenation. It takes a longer time for the pellets to activate in hydrogen gas. After one cycle of hydrogenation, however, the hydrogenation rates become as fast as that of the pure alloy. The P-C-T curves of the pellets are also similar to those of the pure alloy, except the maximum hydrogen absorption capacities decrease slightly from H/M = 1.2 to 1.0. The discharge capacities of the pellets vary from 220 to 315 mAhg -1 , which are affected by the content of Ag, compact pressure, size of Ag flake, and charging time. The pellets have a potential application for charging in the gas phase and discharging in electrolyte. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.