Investigation of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of La-Fe-B system hydrogen-storage alloys

La-Fe-B hydrogen-storage alloys were prepared using a vacuum induction-quenching furnace with a rotating copper wheel. The thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the La-Fe-B hydrogen-storage alloys were investigated in this work. The P-C-I curves of the La-Fe-B alloys were measured over a H2 pressure range of 10−3 MPa to 2.0 MPa at temperatures of 313, 328, 343 and 353 K. The P-C-I curves revealed that the maximum hydrogen-storage capacity of the alloys exceeded 1.23 wt% at a pressure of approximately 1.0 MPa and temperature of 313 K. The standard enthalpy of formation ΔH and standard entropy of formation ΔS for the alloys' hydrides, obtained according to the van't Hoff equation, were consistent with their application as anode materials in alkaline media. The alloys also exhibited good absorption/desorption kinetics at room temperature.