Enhanced electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of TiVNi composite employing NaAlH4

The Ti1.4V0.6Ni doped with NaAlH4 composites were prepared by ball-milling method and the phase composition and electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of the composites were investigated. The phase contains icosahedral quasicrystalline (i-phase), Ti2Ni and V-based solid-solution phase primarily. The NaAlH4 phase is not evident for the composite, and the NaAlH4 phase should be decomposed to help form porous structure on the surface of the composites. The electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of composites has been enhanced with doped NaAlH4, and the maximum electrochemical hydrogen discharge capacity is 299.2 mAh/g, and keeps above 220 mAh/g after 80 cycles for 1 wt.% doping. The high-rate discharge ability of the composite electrode could achieve 79.8% at the discharge current density of 240 mA/g compared with that of 30 mA/g. The enhancement could be attributed to decoration of the composites surface, increase of entropy variation and improvement of H-kinetics on the strength of new porous structure in the composites.