Effect of mechanical coating with Ni and Ni–5% Al on the structure and electrochemical properties of the Mg–50% Ni alloy

The Mg–Ni metastable alloys (with amorphous or nanocrystalline structures) are promising candidates for anode application in nickel–metal hydride rechargeable batteries due to its large hydrogen absorbing capacity, low weight, availability, and relative low price. In spite of these interesting features, improvement on the cycle life performance must be achieved to allow its application in commercial products. In the present paper, the effect of mechanical coating of a Mg–50 at.% Ni alloy with Ni and Ni–5 at.% Al on the structure, powder morphology, and electrochemical properties is investigated. The coating additives, Mg–Ni alloy and resulting nanocomposites (i.e., Mg–Ni alloy + additive) were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The Mg–Ni alloy and nanocomposites were submitted to galvanostatic cycles of charge and discharge to evaluate their electrode performances. The mechanical coating with Ni and Ni–5% Al increased the maximum discharge capacity of the Mg–Ni alloy from of 221 to 257 and 273 mA h g−1, respectively. Improvement on the cycle life performance was also achieved by mechanical coating.