Hydrogen storage alloy for alkaline storage battery, alkaline storage battery using the same as negative electrode, and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12272819-B2
Application number	US-202017442927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2020
Priority date	Mar 26, 2019
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

A hydrogen storage alloy suitable for a negative electrode of an on-board alkaline storage battery, an alkaline storage battery using this hydrogen storage alloy, and a vehicle; wherein a fine-grained hydrogen storage alloy is used for an alkaline storage battery that has a crystal structure of an A 2 B 7 -type structure as a main phase and is represented by a general formula: (La 1-a Sm a ) 1-b Mg b Ni c Al d Cr e (where suffixes a, b, c, d, and e meet the following conditions: 0≤a≤0.35, 0.15≤b≤0.30, 0.02≤d≤0.10, 0≤e≤0.10, 3.20≤c+d+e≤3.50, and 0<a+e), and an alkaline storage battery using this hydrogen storage alloy for a negative electrode. A vehicle also includes this alkaline storage battery as an electricity supply source for a motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery that is a hydrogen storage alloy used for an alkaline storage battery, wherein a main phase of the hydrogen storage alloy has a crystal structure of an A 2 B 7 -type structure, and that the hydrogen storage alloy is represented by the following general formula (1):
(La 1-a Sm a ) 1-b Mg b Ni c Al d Cr e   (1),

wherein suffixes a, b, c, d, and e meet the following conditions:
0≤ a≤ 0.35;

0.15≤ b≤ 0.30;

0.02≤ d< 0.10;

0≤ e≤ 0.10;

3.20≤ c+d+e≤ 3.50; and

0< a+e.

2. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a particle size D50 by mass of 3 μm or larger and 20 μm or smaller.

3. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a particle size D90 by mass of 8 μm or larger and 50 μm or smaller.

4. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a particle size D50 by volume of 10 μm or larger and 20 μm or smaller and an initial mass saturation magnetization of 2.5 emu/g or higher and 6.0 emu/g or lower.

5. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a layer composed of Ni on at least part of particle surfaces.

6. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 5 , wherein the layer composed of Ni is an alkali-treated layer or an acid-treated layer.

7. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a particle size D90 by mass of 8 μm or larger and 50 μm or smaller.

8. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a layer composed of Ni on at least part of particle surfaces.

9. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 3 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a layer composed of Ni on at least part of particle surfaces.

10. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 4 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a layer composed of Ni on at least part of particle surfaces.

11. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen storage alloy has a layer composed of Ni on at least part of particle surfaces.

12. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 8 , wherein the layer composed of Ni is an alkali-treated layer or an acid-treated layer.

13. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 9 , wherein the layer composed of Ni is an alkali-treated layer or an acid-treated layer.

14. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 10 , wherein the layer composed of Ni is an alkali-treated layer or an acid-treated layer.

15. The hydrogen storage alloy for an alkaline storage battery according to claim 11 , wherein the layer composed of Ni is an alkali-treated layer or an acid-treated layer.

16. An alkaline storage battery using the hydrogen storage alloy according to claim 1 as a negative electrode, wherein the alkaline storage battery is installed in a hybrid electric vehicle having a motor as a driving source and supplies electricity to the motor or
the alkaline storage battery is installed in an automobile that has a start-stop function with an engine started by a starter motor and supplies electricity to the starter motor.

17. A vehicle wherein the vehicle has, as an electricity supply source for a motor, an alkaline storage battery that uses the hydrogen storage alloy claim 1 as a negative electrode.

Assignees

• Japan Metals And Chemicals Co Ltd
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Toyota Jidoshokki Kk
• Japan Metals & Chemicals Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sawa Takao
• NOTOYAMA Saki
• SOUMA Tomoki
• Kudo Katsuyuki
• Watanabe Takuya
• Hozumi masato
• Okumura Motoyoshi
• Kodama Masashi
• Kikuchi Takuro
• Okanishi Takeo
• MINAGATA Atsushi
• Mochida Shuhei
• Sasaki Hiroyuki
• Kono Satoshi

Classifications

• B22F1/00

  Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties · CPC title

• H01M2004/027

  Negative electrodes · CPC title

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title

• H01M10/30

  Nickel accumulators (H01M10/34 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title