The development of hydrogen storage electrode alloys for nickel hydride batteries

The development of hydrogen storage electrode alloys in the 1980s resulted in the birth and growth of the rechargeable nickel hydride (Ni/MH) battery. In this paper we describe briefly a semi-empirical electrochemical/thermodynamic approach to develop/screen a hydrogen storage alloy for electrochemical application. More specifically we will discuss the ABx Ti/Zr-based alloys. Finally, the current state of the Ni/MH batteries including commercial manufacture processes, cell performance and applications is given.