Effects of Strip Casting and Annealing on Electrochemical Properties of LPCNi3.55Co0.75Mn0.4Al0.3 Hydrogen Storage Alloys

The effect of thickness （1～10 mm） of the ingots on the electrochemical properties of as-cast and annealed strip cast LPCNi3.55Co0.75Mn0.4Al0.3 hydrogen storage alloys was investigated. It is found that the 0.2 C discharge capacity of as-cast LPCNi3.55Co0.75Mn0.4Al0.3 alloy increases with the increase of the thickness of the ingots. As-cast alloy with the thickness of 10 mm shows better activation property, higher 1C discharge capacity and better cyclic stability than others. It is mainly contributed to its larger unit cell volume and less internal stress. Annealed LPCNi3.55Co0.75Mn0.4Al0.3 alloy with the thickness of 3 mm shows much better comprehensive electrochemical properties than as-cast one; The cyclic stability of the alloy with the thickness of 6 mm and the activation properties of the alloys with the thickness of 3～6 mm are improved after annealing. It is mainly owing to the great release of internal stress and the decrease of the segregation of Mn in the alloys.