Metal hydride alloy with enhanced surface morphology
AssigneeOvonic Battery Company, Inc.
InventorsKwo Young, Benjamin Reichman, Michael A. Fetcenko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The performance of an ABx type metal hydride alloy is improved by adding an element to the alloy which element is operative to enhance the surface area morphology of the alloy. The alloy may include surface regions of differing morphologies.
Claims23
A hydrogen storage alloy material having a bulk region and an interface region, said interface region having a plurality of catalytic channels defined therethrough, said channels having a cross-sectional dimension in the range of 25-150 angstroms and a length which is greater than said cross-sectional dimension, said channels including a plurality catalytic sites defined thereupon, said sites having a concentration of nickel which is greater than the concentration of nickel in the remainder of said alloy;
- wherein the volume fraction of said channels in said interface region is greater than 5%.
A hydrogen storage material for an electrochemical cell, said material comprising a bulk metal and an interface oxide layer comprising at least two distinct regions, each distinct region of the interface layer having a morphology which differs from the morphology of at least one of another of said at least two regions.
A storage material for a rechargeable battery, said material comprising a multi-element bulk metallic material with an interface oxide layer thereon;
- said bulk metallic material having more than one phase;
- said interface layer comprising at least two adjacent regions, each adjacent region of the interface layer having a morphology which differs from the morphology of at least one of another of said at least two regions and each of the differing regions associated with one of the phases of the bulk metallic material.
An ABx (1≦x≦5) metal hydride alloy material, said material having a plurality of catalytic channels defined therethrough, said channels having a cross-sectional dimension in the range of 25-150 angstroms and a length which is greater than said cross-sectional dimension, said channels having catalytic sites defined thereupon, said sites having a concentration of nickel which is greater than the concentration of nickel in the remainder of said alloy.
A method for making a composite ABx (1≦x≦5) type metal hydride alloy material, said material comprising a first, matrix portion and a plurality of second, channel portions disposed in a spaced apart relationship in said matrix portion, said channel portions having a concentration of catalytic channels defined therein, said channels having a cross-sectional dimension in the range of 25-150 angstroms, and a length which is greater than the cross-sectional dimension of said channels, said channels having catalytic sites defined thereupon, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first, ABx matrix material;
- providing a second, ABx metal hydride alloy material, said second material including an additive element selected from the group consisting of Si, Mo, Y, Sn, Sb, and combinations thereof, said element being operative to increase the surface area of said second material by a factor of more than 2 and/or the catalytic ability of said second material by more than 20%;
- activating said second material;
- and
- dispersing said second material in said first material so as to provide said composite material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.