Improvement of the electrochemical properties of Zr-based AB2 alloys by an advanced fluorination technique

An advanced fluorination technique has been developed for improving the electrochemical, performances of Zr-based AB(2) alloys. During the procedure, alloys were ball milled in a complex fluoride solution. It was found that the electrode of the treated alloy exhibited excellent electrochemical performance. Its activation property and high-rate discharge capability were found to be satisfactory compared with the conventional AB(5)-based electrodes. The electrode demonstrated a significant decrease of the reaction resistance measured by an impedance spectrometric method. The F-treated alloy was found to give a larger specific surface area and to form a highly Ni-covered surface. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.