An integrated energy storage device, including: an electrolyser for generating hydrogen through electrolysis of water; a metal hydride store fluidly coupled to the electrolyser, for receiving and converting the hydrogen from a gaseous form to solid state metal hydrides and back to hydrogen when required, and one or more fuel cells coupled to the metal hydride store, for generating electricity from hydrogen generated from the metal hydride store.

An integrated energy storage device, including: an electrolyser for generating hydrogen through electrolysis of water; a metal hydride store fluidly coupled to the electrolyser, for receiving and converting the hydrogen from a gaseous form to solid state metal hydrides and back to hydrogen when required, and one or more fuel cells coupled to the metal hydride store, for generating electricity from hydrogen generated from the metal hydride store.

A method for improving an iron-nickel-chromium-manganese alloy for timepiece applications, particularly for producing a balance spring, is described. The base alloy contains, by mass, from 9.0% to 13.0% of nickel, from 4.0% to 12.0% of chromium, from 21.0% to 25.0% of manganese, from 0 to 5.0% of molybdenum, and/or from 0 to 5.0% of copper in addition to iron. The alloy is hardened while its anti-ferromagnetic properties are maintained by introducing 0.10% to 1.20% of carbon and 0.10% to 1.20% of nitrogen interstitially, based on the mass of the base alloy.

A method for improving an iron-nickel-chromium-manganese alloy for timepiece applications, particularly for producing a balance spring, is described. The base alloy contains, by mass, from 9.0% to 13.0% of nickel, from 4.0% to 12.0% of chromium, from 21.0% to 25.0% of manganese, from 0 to 5.0% of molybdenum, and/or from 0 to 5.0% of copper in addition to iron. The alloy is hardened while its anti-ferromagnetic properties are maintained by introducing 0.10% to 1.20% of carbon and 0.10% to 1.20% of nitrogen interstitially, based on the mass of the base alloy.

A negative electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery including silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), Component A including at least one selected from iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), tungsten (W), and yttrium (Y), and Component B including at least one selected from carbon (C), boron (B), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and sulfur (S), wherein a total amount of Si, Mn, and Component A is about 70 atom % or less, an amount of Component B is 30 atom % or more, and a total amount of Mn and Component A is in a range of about 10 atom % to about 35 atom %.

A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au) and at least one other secondary atom, the at least one other secondary atom selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), manganese (Mn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O), and combinations thereof; erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), zinc (Zn), and combinations thereof; and barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), osmium (Os), phosphorus (P), rubidium (Rb), rhenium (Re), selenium (Se), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thallium (Th), and combinations thereof.

A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au) and at least one other secondary atom, the at least one other secondary atom selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), manganese (Mn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O), and combinations thereof; erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), zinc (Zn), and combinations thereof; and barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), osmium (Os), phosphorus (P), rubidium (Rb), rhenium (Re), selenium (Se), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thallium (Th), and combinations thereof.

A hydrogen storage alloy suitable for prescribed pretreatment, that is, pretreatment wherein mechanical pulverization is performed after pulverizing a hydrogen storage alloy and absorbing/desorbing hydrogen is provided. The hydrogen storage alloy comprises a parent phase having a CaCu.sub.5-type, that is, an AB.sub.5-type crystal structure, wherein the A site is constituted from a rare earth element containing La; and the B site does not contain Co and contains at least Ni, Al, and Mn, with the ratio (Mn/Al) of the content of Mn (molar ratio) to the content of Al (molar ratio) being 0.60 or more and less than 1.56, and the ratio (La/(Mn+Al)) of the content of La (molar ratio) to the total content of the content of Al (molar ratio) and the content of Mn (molar ratio) being more than 0.92.

An object of the present invention is to provide a Mn-based alloy exhibiting metamagnetism over a wide temperature range. A Mn-based alloy according to the present invention is a MnAl alloy having metamagnetism. The metamagnetism refers to a property in which magnetism undergoes transition from paramagnetism or antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism by a magnetic field. In the MnAl alloy, an antiferromagnetic state is adequately stable, so that by imparting AFM-FM transition type metamagnetism (the type of metamagnetism undergoing transition from antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism), it is possible to obtain metamagnetism over a wide temperature range, particularly, over a temperature range of 100 C. to 200 C.

An object of the present invention is to provide a Mn-based alloy exhibiting metamagnetism over a wide temperature range. A Mn-based alloy according to the present invention is a MnAl alloy having metamagnetism. The metamagnetism refers to a property in which magnetism undergoes transition from paramagnetism or antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism by a magnetic field. In the MnAl alloy, an antiferromagnetic state is adequately stable, so that by imparting AFM-FM transition type metamagnetism (the type of metamagnetism undergoing transition from antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism), it is possible to obtain metamagnetism over a wide temperature range, particularly, over a temperature range of 100 C. to 200 C.