HySA Systems Centre of Competence, University of the Western Cape , Bellville, South Africa
Tayla Chirie Martin
HySA Systems Centre of Competence, University of the Western Cape , Bellville, South Africa
Pavel V Fursikov
Laboratory of Metal Hydride Energy Technologies, Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences , Chernogolovka, Russia
Mikhail V Zhidkov
Laboratory of Physical Methods of Studying Functional Materials, Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences , Chernogolovka, Russia
Igor I Khodos
Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences , Chernogolovka, Russia
Simbarashe Fashu
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of KwaZulu Natal , Durban, South Africa
HySA Systems Centre of Competence, University of the Western Cape , Bellville, South Africa; Laboratory of Metal Hydride Energy Technologies, Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences , Chernogolovka, Russia
This article presents experimental results on the preparation and characterisation of a multi-component AB _2 –type intermetallic hydrogen storage alloy (A = Ti _0.85 Zr _0.15 , B = Mn _1.22 Ni _0.22 Cr _0.2 V _0.3 Fe _0.06 ). The alloy samples were prepared by induction melting using Y _2 O _3 -lined alumo-silica and graphite crucibles. The characterisation results were compared with the ones for the reference sample of the same composition prepared by arc melting. It has been shown that the induction-melted samples exhibit reduced hydrogen sorption capacities and sloping plateaux on the pressure composition isotherms (PCI’s). The origin of the observed effects has been shown to be in the inhomogeneity of the induction-melted alloys and their contamination due to crucible—melt interaction, particularly pronounced for the alloy melted in the alumo-silica crucible; this alloy was additionally characterised by the decrease of Zr/Ti ratio and, in turn, higher plateau pressures of the PCI’s.
