Superior hydrogen storage and electrochemical properties of MgxNi100-x/Pd films at room temperature

The MgxNi100-x films of 100 nm have been prepared by magnetron co-sputtering Mg and Ni targets, and a Pd layer of 10 nm was deposited on these films by magnetron sputtering a Pd target. Mg2Ni and MgNi2 are directly generated during the co-sputtering process in the Mg84Ni16/Pd and Mg48Ni52/Pd films. The hydrogen storage properties of the films under 0.1 MPa H-2 at 298 K were investigated. The hydrogenation of the Mg84Ni16/Pd film saturates within 45 s and exhibits the faster absorption kinetics compared with Mg94Ni6/Pd and Mg48Ni52/Pd films. The electrochemical properties of the MgxNi100-x/Pd films were investigated in 6 M KOH with a three-electrode cell. The Mg84Ni16/Pd film can be activated just at the first cycle. The maximum discharge capacity of the Mg84Ni16/Pd film is 482.7 mAh g(-1), the highest among these films.