Correlation between the milling time and hydrogen-storage properties of nanostructured ZrFeNi ternary alloy

Cubic (C15) Laves phase ZrFeNi alloy has been prepared by the arc melting method and then milled in an argon atmosphere to see the effect of milling on hydrogenation properties. Hydrogen absorption isotherms have been measured at pressures upto 60 bar and temperatures between 303 K and 373 K. The enthalpies of hydride formation, derived from temperature variation of equilibrium pressure show a decrease in hydride stability for a 1 h milled sample, while it again increased for longer milling times which may be due to the formation of some minor phases.