Degradation behaviors of new type TiV-based hydrogen storage electrode alloys

The degradation behaviors of the TiV-based multiphase hydrogen storage alloy Cr_0.96Ni₁₂ during electrochemical cycling in alkaline electrolyte have been studied by XRD, SEM, EIS and AES measurements. XRD analysis indicates that the alloy consists of a Cl4-type Laves phase and a V-based solid solution. The lattice parameters of both phases are increased after discharged with cycling, which indicates that more irreversible hydrogen remains not discharged in the alloy. It should be responsible for the decrease of discharge capacity. SEM micrographs show that after 10 electrochemical cycles, a large number of cracks can be observed in the alloy, existing mainly in the V-based solid solution phase. Moreover, after 30 cycles, the alloy particles are obviously pulverized due to the larger expansion and shrinkage of cell volumes during hydrogen absorption and desorption, which induces the fast degradation of the TiV-based hydrogen storage alloys. EIS and AES measurements indicate that some passive oxide film has been formed on the surface of alloy electrode, which has higher charge-transfer resistance, lower hydrogen diffusivity, and less electro-catalytic activity. Therefore it can be concluded that the pulverization and oxidation of the alloy are the main factors responsible for the fast degradation of the TiV-based hydrogen storage alloys.