MXPA97008601A - Electrochemical hydrogen storage alloys and batteries containing heterogeneous powder particles - Google Patents

Abstract

Non-uniform heterogeneous powder particles for electrochemical uses, and said powder particles comprising at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys selected from the group consisting of:Ovonic LaNi5 type alloys, Ovonic TiNi type alloys, and Ovonic MgNi based alloys.

Description

ELECTROCHEMICAL ALLOYS OF HYDROGEN STORAGE AND BATTERIES CONTAINING PARTICLES OF HETEROGENEOUS DUST DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to electrochemical storage alloys of hydrogen and rechargeable electrochemical cells using heterogeneous alloys. More particularly, the invention relates to cells and rechargeable batteries of metal and nickel hydride (Ni-MH) having negative electrodes formed from heterogeneous alloys. Such alloys are formed from a heterogeneous combination of hydrogen storage electrochemical alloys based on MgNi and other types of "Ovonic" hydrogen storage alloy materials (as defined hereafter). The heterogeneous formulation can take the form of an encapsulation and / or heterogeneous mixture of different alloys to provide improved electrochemical performance characteristics. In addition to the low cost, the cells incorporating the alloys of the invention have performance characteristics that are as good as, or better than, the known rechargeable cells utilizing hydrogen storage alloys, such as life cycle, charge retention, low temperature, energy density, and especially dramatic increases in electrochemical storage capacity. Another embodiment of the invention focuses on the particular fabrication and characterization of chemically and structurally modified MgNi alloys to provide valuable improvements in electrochemical performance, in particular in hydrogen storage capacity. In rechargeable alkaline cells, weight and portability are important considerations. It is also advantageous for rechargeable alkaline cells to have a long operating life without the need for periodic maintenance. Rechargeable alkaline cells are used in numerous consumer devices such as laptops, video cameras and cell phones. They are often configured in a sealed energy source that is designed as an integral part of a specific device. The rechargeable alkaline cells can also be configured as large cells that can be used, for example, in industrial, aerospace, and electric vehicle applications. For more than three decades, virtually every battery manufacturer in the world studied NiMH battery technology, but no commercial batteries of this type existed until after the publication of U.S. Patent No. 4,623,597 to Sapru, Reger, Reichman and Ovshinsky which basically and fundamentally describes Ovshinsky's new principles of battery material design. Stanford R. Ovshinsky was responsible for inventing new and fundamentally different electrochemical electrode materials. As predicted by Ovshinsky, confidence in the simple, relatively pure compounds was one of the main drawbacks of the prior art. Relatively pure crystalline compounds have been shown to have a low density of hydrogen storage sites, and the type of active sites available are accidentally presented and are not designated in the volume of the material. In this way, it is determined that the efficiency of hydrogen storage and the subsequent release of hydrogen to form water is deficient. Applying the fundamental principles of disorder for the electrochemical storage of hydrogen, Ovshinsky drastically moves away from conventional scientific thinking and creates a disordered material that has an ordered local environment where the total volume of material is provided with catalytically active hydrogen storage sites as well as well as other sites which provide the required thermodynamic absorption and the release necessary for electrochemical activity. The short range order, or local is prepared in U.S. Patent No. 4,520,039 to Ovshinsky, entitled Composiionally Varied Ma terials and Method for Synthesizing the Materials, the contents of which are incorporated for reference. This patent describes that the disordered materials do not require any periodic local order and how the spatial placement and orientation of atoms or groups of similar or different atoms is possible with such increased precision and control of local configurations that it is possible to produce new phenomena qualitatively . In addition, this patent argues that the atoms used do not need to be restricted to "band d" or "band f" atoms, but can be any atom in which the controlled aspects of the interaction with the local environment and / or orbital overlap play a significant role physically, electronically or chemically to affect physical properties and therefore the functions of the materials. The elements of these materials offer a variety of bonding possibilities due to the multidirectionality of the d orbitals. The multidirectionality ("cylindrical thermometer effect formed by a tangle of metallic fibers") of the d orbitals, provides an exaggerated increase in density and therefore activates storage sites. These techniques result in means to synthesize new materials which are disordered in several different ways simultaneously.

Ovshinsky has previously shown that the number of surface sites can be significantly increased by producing an amorphous film in which the volume of it matches the surface of the relatively desired pure materials. Ovshinsky also uses multiple elements to provide additional bond and local environmental order which allows the material to achieve the required electrochemical characteristics. As Ovshinsky explains in Principles and Applications of Amorphication, Structural Change, and Optical Information Encoding, 42 Journal De Physique in C4-1096 (October 1981): Amorficity is a generic term that refers to the deficiency of diffraction evidence X-ray of long-range periodicity and is not a sufficient description of a material. To understand amorphous materials, there are several important factors to be considered: the type of chemical bond, the number of bonds generated by the local order, this is their coordination, and the influence of the total local environment, both chemical and geometric, after the resulting varied configurations. Amorphousness is not determined by the random packing of atoms observed as hard spheres, nor is the amorphous solid simply a host with randomly embedded atoms. Amorphous materials must be observed as being composed of an interactive matrix whose electronic configurations are generated by free energy forces and can be defined specifically by the chemical nature and the coordination of the constituent atoms. Using elements from multiple orbitals and various preparation techniques, a person can circumvent the normal relaxations that reflect the equilibrium conditions and, due to the three-dimensional freedom of the amorphous state, elaborate totally new types of amorphous materials - chemically modified materials .... Once amorficity is understood as a means of introducing surface sites into a film, it is possible to produce "disorder" that takes into account the full spectrum of effects such as porosity, topology, crystallites, site characteristics, and distances between sites. . In this way, more than looking for changes in materials that can produce ordered materials that have a maximum number of accidents that present superficial bonding and surface irregularities, Ovshinsky and his team at ECD begin to build "disordered" materials where the desired irregularities are made to order. See U.S. Patent No. 4,623,597, the description of which is incorporated for reference. The term "disordered", as used herein to refer to electrochemical electrode materials, corresponds to the meaning of the term as used in the literature, such as the following: A disordered semiconductor can exist in several structural states. This structural factor constitutes a new variable with which the physical properties of the [material] ... can be controlled. Additionally, the structural disorder opens the possibility to prepare in a metastable state new compositions and mixtures that exceed the limits of the thermodynamic equilibrium. Therefore, the following is indicated as an additional distinguishing feature. In many disordered [materials] ... it is possible to control the short range order parameter and therefore achieve drastic changes in the physical properties of these materials, including producing new coordination numbers for the elements .... S.R. Ovshinsky, The Shape of Disorder, 32 Journal of Non-Crystal line Solids on 22 (1979) (emphasis added). The "short range order" of these disordered materials are further explained by Ovshinsky in The Chemical Basis of Amorphici ty: Structure and Function, 26: 8-9 Rev. Roum. Phys. in 893-903 (1981): The short range order is not preserved ... in effectWhen the crystalline symmetry is destroyed, it becomes impossible to retain the same order of short range. The reason for this is that the short range order is controlled by the force fields of the electron orbitals so the environment must be fundamentally different in corresponding crystalline and amorphous solids. In other words, it is the interaction of local chemical bonds with their surrounding environment that determines the electrical, chemical and physical properties of the material, and these may never be the same in amorphous materials as in crystalline materials ... Orbital relationships that can exist in three-dimensional space in amorphous but non-crystalline materials are the basis for new geometries, many of which are inherently anti-crystalline in nature. The distortion of bonds and the dislocation of atoms can be an adequate reason to cause amorphousness in individual component materials. But to understand enough the amorficidad, a person must understand the three-dimensional relations inherent in the amorphous state, for this reason can generate internal topologies incompatible with the translational symmetry of the crystalline network .... What is important in the amorphous state is the fact that a person can elaborate an infinity of materials that do not have crystalline counterparts, and that even those that they construct are mainly similar in chemical composition. The spatial and energetic relationships of these atoms can be totally different in the amorphous and crystalline forms, although their chemical elements can be the same ... Based on these principles of disordered materials, described in the above, three are formulated families of negative electrode materials for storage of extremely efficient electrochemical hydrogens. These families of negative electrode materials, individually and collectively, will be referred to herein as "Ovonic". One of the families, are the negative electrode materials of the La-Ni type? which have recently been extremely modified through the addition of rare earth elements such as Ce, Pr and Nd and other metals such as Mn, Al and Co to become alloys of multiple disordered components, ie, " Ovonic ". The second of these families are the negative electrode materials of the Ti-Ni type which are introduced and developed by the assignment of the subject invention and which have been extremely modified through the addition of transition metals such as Zr and V and other metallic modifying elements such as Mn, Cr, Al, Fe, etc., to be alloys of multiple components, disordered, ie, "Ovonic". The third of these families are the negative electrode materials of the MgNi type of multiple disordered components described herein. Based on the principles expressed in the '597 patent of Ovshinsky, the active materials of the Ti-V-Zr-Ni type of Ovonic are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,551,400 to Sapru, Fetcenko, et al. ("Patent '400"), the description of which is incorporated for reference. This second family of Ovonic materials reversibly forms hydrides in order to store hydrogen. All the materials used in the '400 patent use a Ti-V-Ni composition, wherein at least Ti, V and Ni are present with at least one or more of Cr, Zr and Al. The materials of the '400 Patent are generally multi-phase polycrystalline materials, which may contain, but are not limited to, one or more phases of the Ti-V-Zr material with crystal structures of the C14 type and C15 Other alloys of Ti-V-Zr-Ni Ovonic are described in United States Patent No. 4,728,586 commonly assigned ("the '586 Patent"), entitled Enhanced Charge Retention Electrochemical Hydrogen Storage Alloys and an Enhanced Charge Retention Electrochemical Cell, the description of which is incorporated for reference. The roughness characteristics of the interface surface of the metal electrolyte is a result of the disordered nature of the material as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,716,088 commonly assigned to Reich an, Venkastesan, Fetcenko, Jeffries, Stahl and Bennet, the description of which is incorporated for reference. Since all the constituent elements, as well as many alloys and phases thereof, are present through the metal, they are also represented on the surfaces and fractures which are formed at the metal / electrolyte interface. In this way, the roughness characteristic of the surface is descriptive of the interaction of the physical and chemical properties of the host metals, as well as of the alloys and crystallographic phases of the alloys, in an alkaline environment. The chemical, physical and crystallographic microscopic parameters of the individual phases within the hydrogen storage alloy material are important in determining their macroscopic electrochemical characteristics. In addition to the physical nature of its rough surface, it has been observed that alloys of the V-Ti-Zr-Ni type tend to reach a steady state particle size and condition. This steady-state surface condition is characterized by a relatively high concentration of metallic nickel. These observations are consistent with a relatively high removal ratio through the precipitation of the titanium and zirconium oxides from the surface and a much lower ratio of nickel solubilization. The resulting surface has a higher concentration of nickel than would be expected from the volume composition of the negative hydrogen storage electrode. Nickel in the metallic state is electrically conductive and catalytic, imparting these properties to the surface. As a result, the surface of the negative hydrogen storage electrode is more catalytic and conductive than if the surface contains a higher concentration of insulation oxides. The surface of the negative electrode, which has a conductive and catalytic-metallic nickel component-interacts with the metal hydride alloys in the catalyticization of the electrochemical charge and the discharge reaction stages, as well as promotes rapid gas recombination . Despite the exceptional electrochemical performance now provided by Ovonic, consumers of disordered metal and nickel hydride systems (twice the hydrogen storage capacity of NiCd systems), are demanding incredibly longer run times and energy requirements. from such rechargeable battery systems. No current battery system can meet these over-increased demands. Accordingly, there is a need for a rechargeable battery system of ultra high capacity, high charge retention, high power supply, long life cycle and a reasonable price. One aspect of the present invention is to provide heterogeneous, non-uniform powder particles for the negative electrode of the electrochemical cells, such powder particles comprising at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys. These powder particles will include at least two alloy systems of separate and distinct components, which can be distinguished by their respective microstructure and preferably either stratified or encapsulated. Another aspect of the present invention is a method for making powder particles for electrochemical storage of hydrogen comprising the steps of: forming a first component of the Ovonic alloy, mixing and melting wherein the alloy has the following composition: (Mg? Ni1_ ?) ^^ where, M represents at least one modifying element chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo,, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Mm, Pd, Pt, and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component; 25 < x < . 75; and forming a second component comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of: Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage, - Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; wherein the amount of at least the modifying element is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component material; encapsulating the first component with the second component using a method chosen from a group consisting of melt centrifugation, gas atomization, ultrasonic atomization, centrifugal atomization, planar flow casting, plasma spray, mechanical alloying, chemical vapor deposition, deposition by physical vapor and chemical deposition. Preferably, the second component comprises an Ovonic, i.e., a disordered multi-component material comprising the following elements: Ti in the amount of 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0.1 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage, - Fe in the amount of 0 to 6 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; where the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component. Another aspect of the present invention is a method for making powder particles wherein the first component and the second component, as described above, are mechanically mixed. Yet another aspect of the present invention is an active powder particle material for a nickel-metal hydride negative electrode comprising a composite material formed from at least two members selected from the group consisting of Ovonic alloys of the LaNi5 type, alloys Ovonic type TiNi, and Ovonic alloys based on Mg. Another aspect of the present invention are the powder particles comprising an alloy of a first component and a second component wherein the first component comprises materials having the following composition (M9? N: Li-?) AMb where, M represents at least one modifying element chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Mm, Pd, Pt and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component; 25 < x < 75; and the second component comprising at least one element chosen from the group consisting of: Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount "from 0 to 20 in atomic percentage, Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage, Fe in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; where the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component. In a preferred embodiment, these powder particles are mixed compounds that exhibit a preferential distribution of the second component on their outer surface thereof.

The present invention also includes electrochemical hydrogen storage cells having a negative electrode formed from the heterogeneous powder particles described above. As a result of the experience gained from the development of negative metal hydride electrode materials, Ovshinsky has discovered a variety of improved materials for battery electrodes formed from non-uniform heterogeneous powder particles. These powder particles comprise at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys. The choice of the components of the hydrogen storage alloy can be any combination of multiple phase or only crystalline hydrogen storage alloys or Ovonic hydrogen storage alloys. More specifically, the hydrogen storage components can be any combination of electrochemical hydrogen storage alloys such as those alloys classified as Ovonic, alloys of the TiVZrNi type, Ovonic type alloys LaNI5, or MgNi Ovonic based alloys (such as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 08 / 259,793) or copending U.S. Patent Application No. (obc 72.1) entitled "ELECTROCHEMICAL ALLOYS OF HYDROGEN STORAGE AND BATTERIES MANUFACTURE FROM BASE ALLOYS" CONTAIN MG and filed concurrently with the present application. The present application is a continuation in part of both applications, and the contents of both applications are specifically incorporated for reference. The present invention describes alloys that are formulated solely to take advantage of the outstanding properties of each of the constituents of the alloys of hydrogen storage components and to avoid any damaging qualities of these alloys. One aspect of the present invention, discussed briefly in U.S. Patent Application No. 08 / 423,072, involves a new model for understanding the surface properties of negative electrode materials. An important consideration in the formulation of the alloys of the present invention implies that there is an appropriate balance of corrosion and passivation characteristics. Achieving such a balance begins with observing the negative electrode materials, metal hydrides as having a continuity of passivation and corrosion properties, as shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1 PASSIVATION / CORROSION PROPERTIES high passivation / / / / / / ////////// l l l / / / highly < operating window > corrosive La, Mg Z (, Mn, Cr, Fe, Ti V, .Mo With this knowledge, it is possible to formulate combinations of elements to modify electrode materials that will consequently have an appropriate balance of corrosion and passivation characteristics and will fall within the "operative window" for a particular alloy. Ovonic alloys of the TiNi type have been optimized for such corrosion / passivation properties (see, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,238,756 and 5,277,999, discussed above). Similarly, the production of Ovonic electrode materials of the LaNic type requires the introduction of modifiers to contribute to the corrosive properties and move these alloys generally passivation to the "operating window". (The term "operating window" is used to refer to the range of passivation and corrosion properties of negative electrode materials which are provided for commercially acceptable electrochemical performance characteristics such as life cycle, energy, etc. This operating window is unique for each metal hydride alloy.

Table 2 below lists the modifying groups I, II, III and IV which direct a number of elementary modifications possible in the MgNi-based alloys of the present invention.

In general, when the elements described in Table 2 are added as modifiers, they make the following contributions to the final alloy mixture. Group I, Ca, Be and Y can be partially replaced by Mg. For example, it is expected that the replacement of an element such as Ca for perhaps a small portion of the Mg will increase the chemical disorder without significantly reducing the storage capacity of hydrogen. Group II elements allow the machining of hydrogen and metal bond resistance output, activation characteristics and surface oxide characteristics. The choice of which element or elements in the group will have the specific effect which is dependent on the other component elements for a particular Ovonic alloy based on MgNi. In general, the effect of the elements of Group II are closely interrelated. For example, Ovonic MgNi alloys will produce significantly improved performance and exceptional volume material capacity, but will still have passivation which indicates that additional optimization is necessary to bring them more fully to the operational window. It has been shown that the optimization of these alloys begins by imparting additional corrosion characteristics to the surface of the alloy. Such adjustment of course with the MgNiCoMn alloys will be carried out through the addition of corrosive elements such as V and Al. One may think that the addition of V and Al is useful for the supposed adjustment of the corrosion / passivation properties. . The fine adjustment in these MgNiCoMn alloys is achieved through the addition of elements such as Cr, Zr, Fe, Sn, Si and Cu which can be used in combinations to achieve the correct balance between corrosion and passivation while they maintain the good catalysis and the resistance of the hydrogen bond and metal. The elements in Group III, B, Bi, Sb and In are considered glass formers that effect the formation of crystalline networks. As stated previously, Ovonic MgNiCoMn alloys have an improved tendency to avoid phase segregation during solidification. It may be possible to completely eliminate phase segregation through variations in processing such as fast cooling ratios and more careful control of the thickness of the areas. Another method is to provide a base alloy having an improved resistance to phase segregation. The addition of the elements of Group III can help in this regard. The introduction of B, for example, into the mesh network will eliminate or reduce the size of the glass mesh networks of the material. Finally, the elements of Group IV affect the metallurgical properties of the base alloy, particularly the disorder, density of state, hardness and ductility. U.S. Patent No. 4,716,088 describes the concept of surface roughness and the desirability of the formation of surface area in itself and particular elements useful for controlling this property. In the Ovonic MgNi-based alloys of the present invention, a similar effect (among others) can be carried out by the addition of Group IV elements such as Li, Zn, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and F. Mg in MgNi-based alloys is a softer inducer metal. The addition of the group IV elements imparts a desirable amount of fragility. In essence, the addition of the elements of Group IV changes the shape of the stiffness or curve of stress and deformation of the MgNi-based alloys. As a result, when hydrogen is incorporated into the alloy network during the initial charge / discharge cycle, this brittleness results in the formation of a large surface area through the formation of microcracks. This increase in surface area improves surface catalysis and discharge ratio characteristics. Previous work describes the modification of Ovonic materials from MgNi-based alloys to produce different hydrogen storage alloys. The present invention builds upon this work and describes a new concept of combining at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys to produce non-uniform heterogeneous powder particles. The strategy of combining different hydrogen storage alloys allows the formulation of negative electrode materials that have a degree of passivation / corrosion optimization (and thus an increase in performance) that is significantly greater than any negative electrode material of metal hydride previously formulated. In this discussion of the invention, the heterogeneous powder particles may have two or more separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys. Such heterogeneous powder particles can specifically include three, four, five, six, ... (ad infini tum) separate and distinct alloys. The various hydrogen storage alloys of the present invention are not limited to any particular type of hydrogen storage alloys. The present invention is intended to encompass the combination of separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys which have been variously described as single phase and multiple phase, crystalline, as well as disordered materials. Such alloys have been commonly mentioned to a variety of terms such as Ovonic alloys of the TiNi type, Ovonic alloys of the type LaNI5 Ovonic alloys of the MgNi type, etc. Any known type of metal hydride electrochemical material can be used as well as each of at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys that can build the heterogeneous powder particles of the present invention. Preferably, each alloy other than hydrogen storage can be generally classified as an Ovonic nickel metal hydride, described in U.S. Patent No. 4,663,597. Specific examples of the separate and distinct Ovonic alloys which may comprise the heterogeneous powder particles of the present invention, include the TiNi-type alloys described in U.S. Patent No. 4,551,400; 4,637,967; 4,728,586; 5,096,667; 5,104,617; 5,135,589; 5,238,756 and 5,277,999; as well as also the LaNi5 type alloys described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,874,928; 4,214,043; 4,107,395; 4,107,405; 4,112,199; 4,125,688; 4,214,043; 4,216,274; 4,487,817; 4,605,603; 4,696,873; 4,699,856 (all of which are discussed in U.S. Patent No. 5,238,756). The preferred heterogeneous powder particles of the invention are also formed from at least one MgNi Ovonic based alloy and at least one other separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys. An example of the Ovonic alloy based on MgNi is the following: < MS? Nil-x > aMb wherein, M represents at least one modifying element chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Mm, Pd, Pt, and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the alloy; 0.25 < x < 0.75. This alloy is intended to encompass unmodified Mg alloys as well as modified Mg alloys. Such alloys are described in detail in Patent Application No. 08 / 259,793, the contents of which are incorporated for reference. In general, one of the separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage, - Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; where the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the alloy. Such Ovonic hydrogen storage alloys may be one of a variety of known materials, such as those described in 1 to Patent No. 4,849,205, GB 1,571,299, EP 0 484 964, Patent No. 5,131,920, EP 0 450 590 Al, EP 0 468 568 Al, and EP 0 484 964 Al. Specific examples of the compositional formula of disordered hydrogen storage alloys of The present invention are the following: An alloy represented by the formula ZrMnwV? M Niz, wherein M is Fe or Ca and, x, y, yz are molar ratios of the respective elements where 0.4 < w < 0.8, 0. l < x < .0.3, 0 < .and < 0.2, 1.0 < < 1.5, and 2.0 < w + x + y + z < 2.4. An alloy in which one of the components La or Ni is replaced by a metal M selected from groups la, II, III, IV and Va of the Periodic Table of the Elements rather than lanthanides, in an atomic ratio which is greater than 0.1% and less than 25%. An alloy that has the formula TiV2_? i ?, where x = 0.2 to 0.6. An alloy having the formula TiaZrbNicCrdM ?, where M is Al, Si, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Nb, Ag, or Pd, 0.1 < a < 1.4, 0. l < b < l .3, 0.25 < c < 1.95, 0.1 < d < 1.4 a + b + c + d = 3, and 0 < x < 0.2. An alloy that has the formula ZrMo ^ Nig, where d = 0.1 to 1.2 and e = 1.1 to 2.5. An alloy having the formula Ti1_? Zr? Mn2_y_zCr Vz where 0.05 < x < 0.4, 0 < and < . 1.0, and 0 < < 0.4. An alloy having the formula LnM5 wherein Ln is at least one metal of the lanthanide group and M is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ni and Co. An alloy comprising at least one transition metal that form 40-75% by weight of the chosen alloy of groups II, IV and V of the Periodic System, and at least one additional metal, which provides the balance of the alloy, mixed with at least one transition metal, this additional metal chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Ag, Fe, and Cr-Ni steel. An alloy comprising a main texture of the Mm-Ni system; and a plurality of compound phases wherein each phase of the compound is segregated into the main texture, and wherein the volume of each of the phases of the compound is less than about 10 μm3. Some specific examples of Ovonic alloys of hydrogen storage and disordered hydrogen storage alloys are MmNi¡-, LaNi5, ZrMn2 La0 8Nd0-2Ni2Co3, Ti0.5Zr0.5Fe0.5Ni0.5V0.7 'MmNi3 > 7Mn0_4Al0-3Co0 > 6, MmNi3 _ 55MnQ _ 2AlQ _ 3Co0 > 75, Zr0 > 5Ti0 # 5 V0.76Nil .48Fe0.04 'Ti0.5Zr0.5Mo0.2CeNil .2V1.8' Zr0.9Al0.1Mn0.5Cr0.3Ni1.2 'Ti0.3zrl .0Nil .4Cr0.3 Y Ti0.3Cr0.3Zr0.5Ni0.7V1.2Cu0.1 • Most preferred heterogeneous powder particles are formed from at least one MgNi-based Ovonic alloy (as described in United States Patent Application No. 08) / 258,273) and at least one Ovonic hydrogen storage alloy of the TiNi or LaNi5 type.

Generally, Ovonic hydrogen storage alloys of the TiNi type consist of a base alloy and modifiers. The preferred formulations of the base alloy contain 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage of Ti, 0.1 to 40 in atomic percentage of Zr, 0 to 60 in atomic percentage of V, 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage of Ni, and 0 to 56 in percentage Atomic percentage of Cr. The most preferred formulations of this base alloy contain 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage of Ti, 0.1 to 40 in atomic percentage of Zr, 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage of V, 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage of Ni, and 0 to 56 in atomic percentage of Cr. Specific examples of Ovonic hydrogen storage alloys of the TiNi type preferred to use as well as at least one component of the heterogeneous powder particle materials are indicated in Table 3 below.

The microstructure of the heterogeneous powder particles of the present invention can fall anywhere along the continuity that continues to depend on the degree of disorder of the same. intermediate rank order polycrystalline i individual crystal (large order) Of course, the microstructure of the heterogeneous powder particles of the present invention may consist of multiple phases of different microstructures, such as in the order of the intermediate range, as defined in Patent Application No. 08 / 436,673, polycrystalline materials in each of the separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys respectively. The arrangement of at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys of the present invention may be a composite mixture, a lamellar structure, or an encapsulated particle. The desirability of one of these structures over the other depends on which of the separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys is chosen as the components of the last heterogeneous dust particles. In most cases, a composite mixture, wherein the amounts of each of the separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys are chosen to produce a heterogeneous powder particle that has the required amount of passivation and corrosion, as well as other characteristics, it is suitable to produce an alloy exhibiting superior electrochemical performance. In other cases, where one of at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys has a characteristic, such as catalysis, that gives improved electrochemical performance if placed in intimate contact with a second of at least two storage alloys of separate and distinct hydrogen having a complementary performance characteristic, such as hydrogen storage, a laminar structure is then preferred for physically juxtaposing the storage / catalysis components in close proximity thereby shortening the solid state diffusion trajectories of the hydrogen . Finally, the alloy characteristics which can guarantee the encapsulation of one of the hydrogen storage alloy by the other. This structure is particularly useful when using magnesium-based alloys as a component of the heterogeneous particle. Magnesium-based alloys have excellent storage capacity, even simple or unmodified MgNi-based alloys have a tendency to passivation in the alkaline electrolyte. Encapsulation is a method to effectively protect Mg from the corrosive alkaline environment within an electrochemical cell while still providing efficient absorption / desorption of hydrogen. A particle of encapsulated heterogeneous powderPreferred uses at least one MgNi-based Ovonic alloy encapsulated with at least one Ovonic metal hydride alloy which laminates the surface thereof. One method for forming the heterogeneous powder particles of the present invention is to form one or all of the two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys using a conventional hydride and melt grinding process. Another method is to form one or all of the two separate and separate hydrogen storage alloys, using rapid solidification. Fast solidification refers to methods and processes for rapidly tempering a material from the liquid state to the solid state in a sufficiently high tempering ratio to fix the positions of the atoms in their atomic arrangements. Typically, the material is expelled in its liquid state to a high tempering environment such as on a cold wheel where it solidifies before full crystallization can begin. Generally, rapid solidification processes contrast thin film deposition processes such as those formed by ion spray or vacuum deposition, which are carried out at low particle transfer ratios or to a substrate to form a thin film. Preferably, rapid solidification processes are commonly referred to as melt spinning, jet casting, multiple jet casting, or planar flow casting that are used. Any of these rapid solidification processes can be used independently of the particular apparatus used or details of the process itself. In addition, it is possible to introduce chemical and structural disorder on an atomic scale by the use of processing methods such as described in Ovshinsky, et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,339,255 (the contents of which are incorporated by reference ). This patent describes multiple streams of rapid tempering of the material (such as a base alloy stream and a stream of modifying elements), wherein the flow and tempering ratio of each material stream are controlled independently. With respect to the present invention, this technique is particularly useful with modifiers of very high melting point or with modifiers that are very different from the host MgNi. Once at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys have been formulated, they can be combined using any manufacturing method that effectively allows retention of their separate and distinct nature. For example, the at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys can be combined using mechanical alloying, compaction, sintering, or some combination of these methods. It is also possible that the different alloys can be combined using some variation of the melt spin, or jet casting that can allow the alloys to retain their separate and distinct natures. Mechanical alloying or alloying techniques such as ball rolling or impact block mixing must be performed for a sufficient time to provide electrical connectivity between individual particles. However, these procedures can not be continued for such a period of time that it destroys the separate and distinct nature of at least two hydrogen storage alloys, or that the fine powder particle agglomerates together, limiting the surface area and the catalysis.

EXAMPLES Thin film materials are prepared in order to rapidly analyze the electrochemical performance characteristics of the combination of separate and different alloys of the present invention. A series of films with different chemical compositions are deposited using laser ablation. Laser ablation was chosen because of its unique ability to transfer the target stoichiometry to a substrate. In other words, such a laser technique reduces the effort required to balance the white chemical composition as required with other deposition techniques such as ion spray formation and co-evaporation. Laser ablation deposition is performed in a four-chamber camera using a 50-watt excitation laser at 248 nm. The first component of the primary white material is made by hot pressing a mixed powder of Mg2Ni, Ni, and Co with a composition of 52% Mg, 45% Ni, 3% Co. The second objective of the second component material is manufactured from the material V1gTi15Zr1gNi29Cr5Co7Mn8 manufactured by Ovonic Battery Company as a negative electrode material compacted on a Ni mesh substrate. The deposition parameters for the first component and the second component, respectively, are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 First Component Second Component Laser wavelength 248 nm 248 nm Impulse Width 20 nseg 20 nseg Impulse Ratio 10 Hz 10 Hz Laser Fluence 5 Joule / cm ^ 5 Joule / cm2 Deposition Ratio 1.5 micron / h 1.5 micron / h Deposition Time 2 hours 2 hours Bottom Gas He He Bottom Pressure 200 mTorr 200 mTorr Substrate Temperature 25 ° C 25 ° C Substrate Ni sheet Ni sheet After deposition, samples of electrochemical cells are prepared using the thin films described in the Table 2 as the negative electrode in an oxygen free fluid cell. The positive electrode is sintered Ni (OH) 2. The electrolyte is a 30% KOH solution by weight. The sample cells are charged using a constant current at a ratio of 100 mA / g for 10 hours and discharged at a current of either 100 mA / g at 50 mA / g at 0.9 V with respect to the positive electrode. The measured hydrogen storage capacities for each electrode are listed in Table II. After ten cycles, a significant improvement in capacity is observed. It is believed that this increase is due to the presence of the second component of the Ovonic alloy that encapsulates the alloy Ovonic based on MgNi, imparts a resistance to corrosion of significant degree to the MgNi-based alloy and provides an increased number of catalytic sites. Table 2 In view of the foregoing, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention identifies and encompasses a range of compositions and alloys which, when incorporated as a disordered negative electrode in metal hydride cells, result in batteries which have improved electrochemical performance characteristics.

The drawings, discussion, description and examples of this specification are merely illustrative of the particular embodiments of the invention and do not signify limitations of its practice. The following claims, which include all equivalents, define the scope of the invention.

Claims (34)

1. CLAIMS 1. Non-uniform heterogeneous powder particles for electrochemical uses, where each of the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles are characterized in that they comprise at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys mixed together. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 1, characterized in that the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles comprise at least two separate and separate alloy components when distinguished at the micron level. 3. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 2, characterized in that the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles have a laminar structure. 4. The heterogeneous non-uniform composite dust particles according to claim 1, characterized in that one of at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys is an alloy based on Mg. 5. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 1, characterized in that a first alloy of at least two distinct and separate hydrogen storage alloys comprises materials having the following composition: < M9? Nil-x > aMb wherein M represents at least one modifying element chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo,, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm, and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first alloy; 25 < x < 75; and wherein a second alloy at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys comprises components chosen from a group consisting of: Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; wherein the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second alloy. 6. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles for electrochemical uses, the powder particles are characterized in that they comprise at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys wherein a first alloy of at least two separate hydrogen storage alloys and various comprise materials having the following composition: < M9? Nil-x > aMb wherein M represents at least one modifying element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li , Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first alloy; 25 < x < 75; and wherein a second alloy at least two separate and distinct hydrogen storage alloys comprises components chosen from a group consisting of: Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; I wherein the amount of the components is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second alloy; and the second alloy encapsulates the first alloy. 7. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 6, characterized in that the second alloy is present as striations intimately mixed with the first alloy. 8. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 6, wherein the powder particles are characterized in that they comprise mixed composite dust particles of the second alloy and the first alloy. 9. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 6, wherein the powder particles are characterized in that they exhibit a preferential distribution of the second alloy on their surface. 10. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 5, wherein the second alloy material is characterized in that it comprises a disordered multicomponent material, comprising the following components: Ti in the amount of 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0.1 to 25 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0.1 to 56 atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 7 in atomic percentage; Mn in lk amount of 4.5 to 8.5 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 3 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 2.5 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 6.5 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; wherein the total amount of the components is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component of the material. 11. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 5, characterized in that the second alloy has the following composition: V18Ti15Zr18Ni29Cr5Co7Mn8 12. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 5, characterized in that the first alloy has the following composition: (Base Alloy) ^^ where, the base alloy is an alloy of Mg and Ni in a ratio from about 1: 2 to about 2: 1; M represents at least one modifying element selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca; b is greater than 0.5 in atomic percentage and less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component of the material. 13. A method for making non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles for electrochemical storage of hydrogen, characterized in that it comprises: forming a first mixed and melting component, wherein the alloy has the following composition: (Mg? Nii -?) AMb where M represents at least one modifying element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm, and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component; 25 < x < 75; and forming a second component comprising at least one element chosen from the group consisting of: Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; wherein the total amount of the components is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component of the material; encapsulate the first component with the second component. ~ 14. The method for producing non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles, for electrochemical storage of hydrogen according to claim 13, characterized in that the second component comprises a multi-component disordered material comprising the following elements: Ti in the amount of 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0.1 to 25 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0.1 to 56 atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 7 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 4.5 to 8.5 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 3 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 2.5 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 6.5 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; where the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component. 15. The method for producing non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles for electrochemical hydrogen storage according to claim 13, characterized in that the second component comprises an alloy of the following composition: V18Ti15Zr18Ni29Cr5Co7Mn8 16. The method for making composite dust particles non-uniform heterogeneous, for electrochemical storage of hydrogen according to claim 13, characterized in that the first component comprises an alloy of the following composition: (Base Alloy) ^^ -. wherein, the base alloy is an alloy of Mg and Ni in a ratio of about 1: 2 to about 2: 1; M represents at least one modifying element selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca; b is greater than 0.5 in atomic percentage and less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component. 17. The method for making non-uniform heterogeneous powder particles for electrochemical storage of hydrogen, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: forming a first component having the following composition: (Mg? Ni1 _?) AMb wherein M represents at least one modifier element chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce , Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first material component; 25 < x < 75; forming a second component which is a disordered multi-component material comprising the following elements: Ti in the amount of 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0.1 to 25 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage, - Not in the amount of 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0.1 to 56 atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 7 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 4.5 to 8.5 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 3 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 2.5 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 6.5 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; wherein the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second element; and mixing the first component and the second component together by mechanically mixing using a ball mill, or an impact mixer to form heterogeneous, non-uniform powder particles. 18. The method for making non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 17, characterized in that the second component comprises an alloy of the following composition: V18Ti15Zr18Ni29Cr5Co7Mn8 19. The method for making non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 17, characterized in that the first component comprises an alloy of the following composition: (Base Alloy ^ M ^.) Where the base alloy is an alloy of Mg and Ni in a ratio of about 1: 2 to about 2: 1; M represents at least one modifying element selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca, b is greater than 0.5 in atomic percentage and less than 30 in atomic percentage; b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component of the material 20. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles to be used as active material for a negative metal and nickel hydride electrode, characterized in that it comprises a composite material formed of at least two Selection members of the group consisting of alloys of a TiNi phase, alloys of a LaNi5 phase, alloys of a Mg-based phase, multi-phase TiNi alloys, and multi-phase LaNi5 alloys, and multi-phase alloys to Mg base mixed together. 21. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 20, characterized in that the composite material comprises at least two separate and distinct alloy components when distinguished at the micron level. 22. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 20, characterized in that the composite has a laminar structure. 23. An active material for use as a component of a nickel-metal hydride negative electrode, characterized in that it comprises: heterogeneous non-uniform composite dust particles formed by jointly mixing at least two members selected from the group consisting of alloys of a phase of TiNi, of a phase of LaNi ?, alloys of a phase based on Mg, alloys of multiple phases of TiNi, and alloys of LaNi5 of multiple phases, and alloys of multiple phases based on Mg. 24. The active material according to claim 23, characterized in that the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles comprise at least two components of separate and different alloys when they are distinguished at the micron level. 25. The active material according to claim 24, characterized in that the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles have a lamellar structure. 26. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles for electrochemical use, the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles which are characterized in that they comprise a first mixed with, and a second component wherein the first component comprises materials having the following composition: (M9? Nil-x> aMb where M represents at least one modifying element chosen from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca; b is in the range of 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage; and a + b «100 in atomic percentage of the first component; 25 < x < 75; and the second component comprising at least one element chosen from the group consisting of: Ti in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage, - Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; wherein the total amount of the components is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component. 27. The non-uniform composite heterogeneous particles according to claim 26, characterized in that the second component encapsulates the first component. 28. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particle according to claim 26, characterized in that the second component is present as striations intimately mixed with the first component. 29. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 26, characterized in that the powder particles comprise mixed composite dust particles of the second component and the first component. 30. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 26, characterized in that the non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles exhibit a preferential distribution of the second component on their surface. 31. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 26, characterized in that the second component comprises a material of multiple disordered components comprising the following elements: Ti in the amount of 0.1 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0.1 to 25 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0.1 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0.1 to 56 atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 7 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 4.5 to 8.5 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 3 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 2.5 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 6.5 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; where the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component. 32. The non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles according to claim 26, characterized in that the second component comprises an alloy of the following composition: V18Ti15ZrlgNi29Cr5Co7Mn8 33. An electrochemical hydrogen storage cell characterized in that it comprises: heterogeneous composite dust particles not hydrogen storage uniforms comprising: a first component comprising materials having the following composition: (Mg ^. ^ Mj, where M represents at least one modifying element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, Al , Fe, Cu, Mo, W, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Sn, Th, Si, Zn, Li, Cd, Na, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Mm and Ca; b is in the range from 0 to less than 30 in atomic percentage, and to + b = 100 in atomic percentage of the first component, 25 < x < 75; mixed with the second component comprising at least one element chosen from the group consisting of: Ti in the amount from 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Zr in the amount of 0 to 40 in atomic percentage; V in the amount of 0 to 60 in atomic percentage; Not in the amount of 0 to 57 in atomic percentage; Cr in the amount of 0 to 56 atomic percentage; Cu in the amount of 0 to 56 in atomic percentage; Co in the amount of 0 to 15 in atomic percentage; Mn in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Al in the amount of 0 to 20 in atomic percentage; Faith in the amount of 0 to 10 in atomic percentage; Mo in the amount of 0 to 8 in atomic percentage; The in the amount of 0 to 30 in atomic percentage; and Mm in the amount of 0 to 30 in percent by weight; where the total amount of the elements is equal to 100 in atomic percentage of the second component. 34. The method for making non-uniform heterogeneous composite dust particles for electrochemical hydrogen storage according to claim 13, characterized in that the encapsulation step is carried out using a method chosen from a group consisting of centrifugation of melts, gas atomization, ultrasonic atomization, centrifugal atomization, planar flow casting, plasma spray, mechanical alloy and vapor deposition.