Hydriding and dehydriding characteristics of a Mg,Ni-Ni composite prepared by ball-milling Mg,Ni alloy with 70 wt. % Ni (Mg2Ni/Ni=1/1.28 in mole ratio) were investigated. As a result, it was found that the Mg2Ni-Ni composite showed a marked increase in the hydriding rate and the dehydriding commenced at much lowered temperature or even at room temperature, compared with Mg,Ni and ball-milled Mg,Ni alloys. Such a marked improvement in the hydriding and dehydriding characteristics, as well as the charge-discharge characteristics, by ball-milling the Mg2Ni alloy with Ni is probably due to the appearance of the homogeneous amorphous structure over the whole alloy particles. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.