Preparation of Ti-Zr-Ni-Cu hydrogen storage alloy by mechanical alloying

Mechanical alloying was used to synthesis the Ti₆₀Zr₁₅Ni₁₅Cu₁₀ hydrogen storage alloy in a planetary mill. The structure of phases and grain size of the milled powders were determined by XRD and DSC. The microstructure and composition of the powders were examined by SEM and EDS. P-C-T curves of the powders were also studied. The results show that the grain size of the powders decreases with the increase of milling time. There is much amorphous phase in the sample milled for 120 h. There is a cold welding layer structure in the powders. With the increase of milling time, the thickness of the cold welding layers decreases, the distribution of the elements in the powders tends to be uniform, the cold welding process and the fracture process tend to be balance gradually. The maximum hydrogen storage capacity of the as-milled alloy was 1.63%. The hydrogen storage capacity of the powders with nanocrystalline structure is higher than that of the powders with amorphous structure.