Spodaryk M. Structure, hydrogen storage and electrochemical properties of hydride forming LaNi5-based compounds

In the thesis the effect of chemical composition and particle size of gas atomized (GA) hydrogen storage alloy powders on their morphology, structure and chemical state of the surface have been investigated. The simultaneous influence of the composition and particle size of alloy powders on hydrogen storage and electrochemical characteristics of their electrodes was analyzed in details. Activation, kinetics and hydrogen storage properties of gas atomized LaNi5 based alloys improve with particle size increasing, which is associated with a decrease in charge transfer resistance and the nature of limiting step. We identified the mechanism of degradation of the gas atomised LaNi5 type alloy electrodes during hydrogenation in an alkaline electrolyte. The successful practical applications of GA alloys in Ni-MH batteries and photoelectrochemical cells is demonstrated.