The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing substantially spherical metallic alloyed particles, having micron and sub-micron (i.e., nanometer)-scaled dimensions, and the powders so prepared, as well as articles derived from these powders. In particular embodiments, these metallic alloyed particles, comprising rare earth metals, can be prepared in sizes as small 80 nm in diameter with size variances as low as 2-5%.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing substantially spherical metallic alloyed particles, having micron and sub-micron (i.e., nanometer)-scaled dimensions, and the powders so prepared, as well as articles derived from these powders. In particular embodiments, these metallic alloyed particles, comprising rare earth metals, can be prepared in sizes as small 80 nm in diameter with size variances as low as 2-5%.

Provided are hydrogen storage materials having hydrogen absorption (storage) desorption properties suitable for hydrogen storage in a temperature range of 0? C. or lower. Also provided are a hydrogen storage container containing the hydrogen storage materials, and a hydrogen supply apparatus including the hydrogen storage container. The hydrogen storage materials have an alloy with an elemental composition represented by Formula (1):

##STR00001##

in Formula (1), M is at least one kind selected from Mn, Co, and Al and essentially contains Mn, a satisfies 0.00?a?0.62, b satisfies 0.20?b?0.57, c satisfies 0.17?c?0.60, d satisfies 4.50?d?5.20, e satisfies 0.15?e?0.70, a+b+c=1, c+e satisfies 0.55?c+e?1.20, and d+e satisfies 5.13?d+e?5.40.

A hydrogen storage alloy suitable for a negative electrode of an on-board alkaline storage battery, and an alkaline storage battery using the alloy, which has an AB.sub.3-type crystal structure as a main phase, represented by: (Sm.sub.xLa.sub.yR.sub.z).sub.1-a-bMg.sub.aT.sub.bNi.sub.cCo.sub.dMe. (R is selected from Pr, Nd; T is selected from Ti, Zr, Hf; M is selected from V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Cu, Al, Si, P, B; the following conditions are met: 0<x<1.0, 0<y<1.0, 0.8?x+y?1.0, x+y+z=1.0; 0.93?(x?y).Math.(1?a?b)+4.5(a+b)?1.62, 0<a?0.45, 0?b?0.05, 0?d?0.7, 0?e?0.15, 2.85?c+d+e?3.15 and 0.01?d+e).

A hydrogen storage alloy suitable for a negative electrode of an on-board alkaline storage battery, and an alkaline storage battery using the alloy, which has an AB.sub.3-type crystal structure as a main phase, represented by: (Sm.sub.xLa.sub.yR.sub.z).sub.1-a-bMg.sub.aT.sub.bNi.sub.cCo.sub.dMe. (R is selected from Pr, Nd; T is selected from Ti, Zr, Hf; M is selected from V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Cu, Al, Si, P, B; the following conditions are met: 0<x<1.0, 0<y<1.0, 0.8?x+y?1.0, x+y+z=1.0; 0.93?(x?y).Math.(1?a?b)+4.5(a+b)?1.62, 0<a?0.45, 0?b?0.05, 0?d?0.7, 0?e?0.15, 2.85?c+d+e?3.15 and 0.01?d+e).

A low-cost hydrogen storage material has hydrogen absorption (storage) and desorption properties suitable for hydrogen storage. A hydrogen storage container including the hydrogen storage material and a hydrogen supply apparatus including the hydrogen storage container are disclosed. The hydrogen storage material includes an alloy having a specific elemental composition represented by Formula (1), in which, in a 1000?COMP image of a cross section of the alloy obtained by EPMA, a plurality of phases enriched with R are present, the phases having phase diameters of 0.1 ?m or more and 10 ?m or less, and 100 or more sets of combinations of two phases in the phases are present in a visual field of 85 ?m?120 ?m in the COMP image, the shortest separation distance between the two phases being 0.5 to 20 ?m.
[Chem. 1]
Ti.sub.(1-a-b)R.sub.aM1.sub.bFe.sub.cMn.sub.dM2.sub.eC.sub.f (1)

A hydrogen storage system includes a hydrogen storage alloy containment vessel comprising an external pressure containment vessel and a thermally conductive compartmentalization network disposed within the pressure containment vessel. The compartmentalization network creates compartments within the pressure vessel within which a hydrogen storage alloy is disposed. One or both of the compartmentalization network and the pressure vessel may be formed by a 3D printing process, such as by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and/or Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). The hydrogen storage alloy is a non-pyrophoric AB.sub.2 Laves phase hydrogen storage alloy having: an A-site to B-site elemental ratio of not more than 0.5; and an alloy composition including (in at %): Zr: 2.0-5.5, Ti: 27-31.3, V: 8.3-9.9, Cr: 20.6-30.5, Mn: 25.4-33.0, Fe: 1.0-5.9, Al: 0.1-0.4, and/or Ni: 0.0-4.0.

The invention relates to metal hydrides for storing hydrogen, in particular AB2 based metal hydrides, methods of production and uses thereof.

A hydrogen storage system includes a hydrogen storage alloy containment vessel comprising an external pressure containment vessel and a thermally conductive compartmentalization network disposed within the pressure containment vessel. The compartmentalization network creates compartments within the pressure vessel within which a hydrogen storage alloy is disposed. One or both of the compartmentalization network and the pressure vessel may be formed by a 3D printing process, such as by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and/or Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). The hydrogen storage alloy is a non-pyrophoric AB.sub.2-type Laves phase hydrogen storage alloy having: an A-site to B-site elemental ratio of not more than 0.5; and an alloy composition including (in at %): Zr: 2.0-5.5, Ti: 27-31.3, V: 8.3-9.9, Cr: 20.6-30.5, Mn: 25.4-33.0, Fe: 1.0-5.9, Al: 0.1-0.4, and/or Ni: 0.0-4.0.

A hydrogen storage system includes a hydrogen storage alloy containment vessel comprising an external pressure containment vessel and a thermally conductive compartmentalization network disposed within the pressure containment vessel. The compartmentalization network creates compartments within the pressure vessel within which a hydrogen storage alloy is disposed. One or both of the compartmentalization network and the pressure vessel may be formed by a 3D printing process, such as by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and/or Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). The hydrogen storage alloy is a non-pyrophoric AB.sub.2-type Laves phase hydrogen storage alloy having: an A-site to B-site elemental ratio of not more than 0.5; and an alloy composition including (in at %): Zr: 2.0-5.5, Ti: 27-31.3, V: 8.3-9.9, Cr: 20.6-30.5, Mn: 25.4-33.0, Fe: 1.0-5.9, Al: 0.1-0.4, and/or Ni: 0.0-4.0.