Structural and hydriding properties of composite Mg–ZrFe1.4Cr0.6

The composite system Mg-ZrFe1.4Cr0.6 was synthesized by mechanical grinding of Mg mixed with various amounts of ZrFe1.4Cr0.6. The hydrogenation performance of Mg in the composite system was markedly enhanced, especially for Mg-40 wt.% ZrFe1.4Cr0.6. SEM, TEM, EDS and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the composite. The full exploitation of the catalytic function of ZrFe1.4Cr0.6 and the nanostructure of Mg were found to be the main reasons for the markedly improved hydriding kinetics of the composite. (C) 2001 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.