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The Role of Microcracking in ZrCrNi Hydride Electrodes
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1996
Year
EngineeringElectrode-electrolyte InterfaceChemistryZrcrni Hydride ElectrodesNanoengineeringElectrochemical InterfaceElectrode Reaction MechanismMaterials ScienceBattery Electrode MaterialsAdvanced Electrode MaterialAs‐cast ZrcrniEnergy StorageElectrochemical ProcessElectrochemistryHydride ElectrodeMetal AnodeElectrochemical Energy StorageBatteriesUbiquitous Network
As‐cast ZrCrNi was found to exhibit high capacities and good cycle life when used as a hydride electrode in nickel/metal hydride batteries, but was extremely slow to activate. As‐cast ZrCrNi was found to be comprised of a primary C14 Laves phase with a uniformly dispersed second phase of . When annealed to a single C14 phase, ZrCrNi delivered virtually no capacity. Microscopic studies of activated and unactivated material suggests that the key activation mechanism is the formation of a ubiquitous network of microcracks. A model is proposed to explain the formation of the microcracks and their role in activation. It is further shown that activation can be greatly accelerated by a pulse activation process.