The Electrode Properties of Mg1.9Al0.1Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1 Alloy by Mechanical Grinding with Ni Powders

A modified magnesium alloy of composition Mg1.9Al0.1Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1 was prepared by mechanical grinding with Ni powder for periods up to 120 h. The resulting structures of the Mg1.9Al0.1Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1 alloys were found to be amorphous. The electrodes of the modified Mg1.9Al0.1Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1 alloys had large discharge capacities. At a discharge current rate of 50 mA/g, the capac-ity was 630 mAh/g after 50 h of mechanical grinding and 510 mAh/g after 120 h of mechanical grinding. © 1999 The Electrochemical Society. S1099-0062(98)05-066-4. All rights reserved. Manuscript submitted May 21, 1998; revised manuscript received December 17, 1998. Available electronically February 1, 1999. Magnesium-based hydrogen storage alloys possess very high hydrogen absorption capacity (e.g., Mg2NiH4 contains 3.6 wt % of hydrogen). Magnesium is also abundant in nature, light in weight, and low in cost. As a result, magnesium alloys have become the sub-ject of increasing research worldwide. For a long period, it was thought that Mg-based alloy-hydrogen systems needed to be operat