Abstract: A multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is ?30 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % and where the alloy comprises a mischmetal where Nd in the mischmetal is <50 at % or a multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising one or more rare earth elements, a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is from about 30 to about 72 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % have improved electrochemical performance. The alloys are useful in an electrode in a metal hydride battery, a fuel cell or a metal hydride air battery.

Abstract: A multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is ?30 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % and where the alloy comprises a mischmetal where Nd in the mischmetal is <50 at % or a multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising one or more rare earth elements, a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is from about 30 to about 72 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % have improved electrochemical performance. The alloys are useful in an electrode in a metal hydride battery, a fuel cell or a metal hydride air battery.

Abstract: A multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is ?30 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % and where the alloy comprises a mischmetal where Nd in the mischmetal is <50 at % or a multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising one or more rare earth elements, a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is from about 30 to about 72 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % have improved electrochemical performance. The alloys are useful in an electrode in a metal hydride battery, a fuel cell or a metal hydride air battery.

Abstract: Laves phase-related BCC metal hydride alloys historically have limited electrochemical capabilities. Laves phase-related BCC metal hydride alloys are provided herein with greater than 200 mAh/g capacities and commonly at or greater than 400 mAh/g capacities. By decreasing the temperature or increasing the hydrogen pressure the phase structure of the material a synergistic effect between multiple phases in the resulting alloy is achieved thereby greatly improving the electrochemical capacities.

Abstract: Laves phase-related BCC metal hydride alloys historically have limited electrochemical capabilities. Provided are processes of activating these alloys to produce hydrogen storage materials with greater than 200 mAh/g capacities and commonly much greater than 300 mAh/g capacities. The processes include cooling the alloy during hydrogenation to reduced temperatures or by subjecting the materials to significantly increased hydrogen pressures. Temperatures in many embodiments do not exceed 300° C. By decreasing the temperature or increasing the hydrogen pressure the phase structure of the material is optimized to increase a synergistic effect between multiple phases in the resulting alloy thereby greatly improving the electrochemical capacities.

Abstract: BCC metal hydride alloys historically have limited electrochemical capabilities. Provided are a new examples of these alloys useful as electrode active materials. BCC metal hydride alloys provided include a disordered structure that is formed of a BCC primary phase and three or more electrochemically active secondary phases that are induced to create structural disorder in the system. The structurally disordered hydrogen storage alloys possess unexpectedly superior electrochemical characteristics relative to compositionally similar materials.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage alloy having a higher electrochemical hydrogen storage capacity than that predicted by the alloy's gaseous hydrogen storage capacity at 2 MPa. The hydrogen storage alloy may have an electrochemical hydrogen storage capacity 5 to 15 times higher than that predicted by the maximum gaseous phase hydrogen storage capacity thereof. The hydrogen storage alloy may be selected from alloys of the group consisting of A2B, AB, AB2, AB3, A2B7, AB5 and AB9. The hydrogen storage alloy may further be selected from the group consisting of: a) Zr(VxNi4.5-x); wherein 0<x?0.5; and b) Zr(VxNi3.5-x); wherein 0<x?0.9.

Abstract: BCC metal hydride alloys historically have limited electrochemical capabilities. Provided are a new examples of these alloys useful as electrode active materials. BCC metal hydride alloys provided include a pressure plateau in the desorption PCT isotherm measured at 30° C. with center between 0.1 MPa and 1.0 MPa, and/or a plateau region between 0.05 weight percent to 0.5 weight percent of H2. This pressure plateau represents a new catalytic phase capable of producing increased capacity in the absence of additional catalytic phases.

Abstract: A structurally and compositionally disordered electrochemically active alloy material is provided with excellent capacity and cycle life, as well as superior high-rate dischargeability. The alloy employs a disordered A2B4+x(AB5) structure, wherein x is a number between 1 and 4. This crystal structure combined with a tailored amount of electrochemically active AB5 secondary phase material produces superior electrochemical properties.

Abstract: Laves phase-related BCC metal hydride alloys historically have limited electrochemical capabilities. Provided are processes of activating these alloys to produce hydrogen storage materials with greater than 200 mAh/g capacities and commonly much greater than 300 mAh/g capacities. The processes include cooling the alloy during hydrogenation to reduced temperatures or by subjecting the materials to significantly increased hydrogen pressures. Temperatures in many embodiments do not exceed 300° C. By decreasing the temperature or increasing the hydrogen pressure the phase structure of the material is optimized to increase a synergistic effect between multiple phases in the resulting alloy thereby greatly improving the electrochemical capacities.

Abstract: A multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is ?30 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is 8 wt % and where the alloy comprises a mischmetal where Nd in the mischmetal is <50 at % or a multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising one or more rare earth elements, a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is from about 30 to about 72 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % have improved electrochemical performance. The alloys are useful in an electrode in a metal hydride battery, a fuel cell or a metal hydride air battery.

Abstract: A structurally and compositionally disordered electrochemically active alloy material is provided with excellent capacity and cycle life, as well as superior high-rate dischargeability. The alloy employs a disordered A2B4+x(AB5) structure, wherein x is a number between 1 and 4. This crystal structure combined with a tailored amount of electrochemically active AB5 secondary phase material produces superior electrochemical properties.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage alloy having a higher electrochemical hydrogen storage capacity than that predicted by the alloy's gaseous hydrogen storage capacity at 2 MPa. The hydrogen storage alloy may have an electrochemical hydrogen storage capacity 5 to 15 times higher than that predicted by the maximum gaseous phase hydrogen storage capacity thereof. The hydrogen storage alloy may be selected from alloys of the group consisting of A2B, AB, AB2, AB3, A2B7, AB5 and AB9. The hydrogen storage alloy may further be selected from the group consisting of: a) Zr(VxNi4.5-x); wherein 0<x?0.5; and b) Zr(VxNi3.5-x); wherein 0<x?0.9.

Abstract: Electrochemical and gas phase hydrogen storage alloy compositions that provide superior performance, especially at low temperature, and excellent cycle life characteristics. The alloys of this invention are AB5 type alloys that include a cycle life enhancement element and a low Co concentration. The preferred cycle life enhancement elements include Zr and Si. The cycle life enhancement elements increase the cycle life of the instant alloys by reducing the pulverization of alloy particles upon repeated cycles of charging-discharging or hydriding-dehydriding. The alloys are characterized by low hysteresis on cycling, where hysteresis is measured in terms of mass concentration difference, a parameter related to the activation energy associated with the incorporation of hydrogen into the alloy. The instant alloys are designed to have a low activation energy for hydrogen incorporation and as a result, provide low hysteresis and a more uniform concentration of absorbed hydrogen within the material.

Abstract: A BCC phase hydrogen storage alloy capable of storing approximately 4.0 wt. % hydrogen and delivering reversibly up to 3.0 wt. % hydrogen at temperatures up to 110° C. The hydrogen storage alloys also possess excellent kinetics whereby up to 80% of the hydrogen storage capacity of the hydrogen storage alloy may be reached in 30 seconds and 80% of the total hydrogen storage capacity may be desorbed from the hydrogen storage alloy in 90 seconds. The hydrogen storage alloys also have excellent stability which provides for long cycle life.

Abstract: A reversible hydrogen storage alloy for electrochemical and thermal hydrogen storage having excellent kinetics and improved performance at low temperatures and excellent cycle life. The compositions of the hydrogen storage alloy is modified to achieve excellent performance at low temperatures and excellent cycle life via non-stoichiometric hydrogen storage alloy compositions.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage composite material having a Mg—Ni based alloy with a coating of a catalytically active metal deposited on at least a portion of a surface of said Mg—Ni based alloy. The coating is less than about 200 angstroms thick and preferably is formed from iron or palladium. The composite material is capable of adsorbing at least 3 weight percent hydrogen and desorbing at least 1 weight percent hydrogen at 30° C. The Mg—Ni based alloy has a microstructure including both a Mg-rich phase and a Ni-rich phase, micro-tubes having an inner core of Ni-rich material surrounded by a sheathing of Mg-rich material, amorphous structural regions and microcrystalline structural regions.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage alloy having an atomically engineered microstructure that both physically and chemically absorbs hydrogen. The atomically engineered microstructure has a predominant volume of a first microstructure which provides for chemically absorbed hydrogen and a volume of a second microstructure which provides for physically absorbed hydrogen. The volume of the second microstructure may be at least 5 volume % of atomically engineered microstructure. The atomically engineered microstructure may include porous micro-tubes in which the porosity of the micro-tubes physically absorbs hydrogen. The micro-tubes may be at least 5 volume % of the atomically engineered microstructure. The micro-tubes may provide proton conduction channels within the bulk of the hydrogen storage alloy and the proton conduction channels may be at least 5 volume % of the atomically engineered microstructure.

Abstract: A modified A2B7 type hydrogen storage alloy having reduced hysteresis. The alloy consists of a base AxBy hydrogen storage alloy, where A includes at least one rare earth element and also includes magnesium, B includes at least nickel, and the atomic ratio of x to y is between 1:2 and 1:5. The base alloy is modified by the addition of at least one modifier element which has an atomic volume less than about 8 cm3/mole, and is added to the base alloy in an amount sufficient to reduce the absorption/desorption hysteresis of the alloy by at least 10% when compared with the base alloy.

Abstract: A BCC phase hydrogen storage alloy capable of storing approximately 4.0 wt. % hydrogen and delivering reversibly up to 3.0 wt. % hydrogen at temperatures up to 110° C. The hydrogen storage alloys also possess excellent kinetics whereby up to 80% of the hydrogen storage capacity of the hydrogen storage alloy may be reached in 30 seconds and 80% of the total hydrogen storage capacity may be desorbed from the hydrogen storage alloy in 90 seconds. The hydrogen storage alloys also have excellent stability which provides for long cycle life.