US2006057019A1PendingUtilityA1

Hydrogen storage alloys having reduced PCT hysteresis

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Assignee: YOUNG KWOPriority: Sep 16, 2004Filed: Sep 16, 2004Published: Mar 16, 2006
Est. expirySep 16, 2024(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Kwo YoungMichael A. FetcenkoStanford R. OvshinskyTaihei OuchiFeng LiMelanie Reinhout
Y02E60/10H01M 10/345H01M 4/385C01B 3/0057C01B 3/0078H01M 4/383Y02E60/32
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Claims

Abstract

A modified A 2 B 7 type hydrogen storage alloy having reduced hysteresis. The alloy consists of a base A x B y 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 cm 3 /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.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A modified A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy having reduced hysteresis wherein said alloy includes: 
 a) a base A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy wherein: 
 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; and  
   b) at least one modifier element wherein:    said modifier element has an atomic volume less than about 8 cm 3 /mole, and said modifier element is added to said 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.    
     
     
         2 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said atomic ratio of x to y is between 1:3 and 1:4.  
     
     
         3 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 2 , wherein said atomic ratio of x to y is between 1:3.3 and 1:3.6.  
     
     
         4 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said modifier element is added to said base alloy in an amount sufficient to reduce the absorption/desorption hysteresis of the alloy by at least 20% when compared with the base alloy.  
     
     
         5 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 4 , wherein said modifier element is added to said base alloy in an amount sufficient to reduce the absorption/desorption hysteresis of the alloy by at least 40% when compared with the base alloy.  
     
     
         6 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said modifier element is at least one element selected from the group consisting of B, Co, Cu, Fe, Cr, and Mn.  
     
     
         7 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 6 , wherein said modifier element includes at least B.  
     
     
         8 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 6 , wherein said modifier element includes at least Mn.  
     
     
         9 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein the atomic ratio of nickel to modifier element is 50:1 to 200:1.  
     
     
         10 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 9 , wherein the atomic ratio of nickel to modifier element is 75:1 to 150:1.  
     
     
         11 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one rare earth element includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, and praseodymium.  
     
     
         12 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one rare earth element misch metal.  
     
     
         13 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein the atomic ratio of rare earth elements to magnesium in the A elements is 5:1 to 6:1.  
     
     
         14 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 13 , wherein the atomic ratio of rare earth elements to magnesium in the A elements is 5.5:1 to 5.7:1.  
     
     
         15 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein B further includes aluminum.  
     
     
         16 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 15 , wherein the atomic ratio of nickel to aluminum in the B elements is 30:1 to 40:1.  
     
     
         17 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 16 , wherein the atomic ratio of nickel to aluminum in the B elements is 33:1 to 35:1.  
     
     
         18 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said alloy is La 0.21 Ce 0.03 Pr 0.15 Nd 0.46 Mg 0.15 Ni 3.34 Al 0.1 B 0.03 .  
     
     
         19 . The reduced hysteresis A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 1 , wherein said alloy is La 0.21 Ce 0.03 Pr 0.15 Nd 0.46 Mg 0.15 Ni 3.34 Al 0.1 Mn 0.03 .  
     
     
         20 . An A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy wherein: A includes at least one rare earth element and also includes magnesium, B includes at least nickel, the atomic ratio of x to y is between 1:2 and 1:5; and the surface of said alloy comprising catalytic metallic regions supported in a highly porous oxide support matrix.  
     
     
         21 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 20 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions comprise nickel or nickel alloy.  
     
     
         22 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 21 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions comprise nickel.  
     
     
         23 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 20 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions are 50-70 Å in diameter and are distributed throughout the oxide interface and varying in proximity from 2-300 Å from region to region.  
     
     
         24 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 23 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions are 50-70 Å in diameter and are distributed throughout the oxide interface and vary in proximity from 50-100 Å, from region to region.  
     
     
         25 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 20 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions are 10-50 Å in diameter in size.  
     
     
         26 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 25 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions are 10-40 Å in diameter.  
     
     
         27 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 26 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions are 10-30 Å in diameter.  
     
     
         28 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 27 , wherein said catalytic metallic regions are 10-20 Å in diameter and vary in proximity from 10-20 Å, from region to region.  
     
     
         28 . The A x B y  hydrogen storage alloy of  claim 20 , wherein said alloy further contains a microstructure tuning element such as Cu, Fe, or Zn.

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