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The effect of the partial substitution of Cr with Fe on the thermodynamic parameters of vanadium-rich Ti16V60Cr24-xFex alloys (x = 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24) was investigated. For each composition, a pressure–concentration isotherm (PCI) was registered at 298, 308, and 323 K. The PCI curves revealed a reduction in plateau pressure and a decrease in desorbed hydrogen capacity with an increasing amount of Fe. For all alloys, about 50% or less of the initial hydrogen capacity was desorbed for all chosen temperatures. Entropy (ΔS) and enthalpy (ΔH) values were deducted from corresponding Van’t Hoff plots of the PCI curves: the entropy values ranged from −150 to −57 J/K·mol H2, while the enthalpy values ranged from −44 to −21 kJ/mol H2. They both decreased with an increasing amount of Fe. Plotting ΔS as function of ΔH showed a linear variation that seems to indicate an enthalpy–entropy compensation. Moreover, a quality factor analysis demonstrated that the present relationship between entropy and enthalpy is not of a statistical origin at the 99% confidence level.

In this paper we report the effect of three different preparation methods on the first hydrogenation of the vanadium-rich BCC alloy Ti16V60Cr24: one-time cold rolling, 5 min ball milling and addition of 4 wt.% of Zr. All samples were synthesized by arc melting. Without Zr addition the alloy was single phase, but when 4 wt.% Zr was added, a secondary zirconium-rich phase was present. However, X-ray diffraction patterns only showed a single-body-centred cubic phase before hydrogenation for all samples. The crystal structure of the fully hydrogenated samples was body-centred tetragonal. The highest hydrogen capacity (3.8 wt.%) was measured for the Zr-doped alloy. The ball-milled alloy also exhibited a high storage capacity and fast kinetics. However, the maximum hydrogen storage capacity slightly decreased after cold rolling. It was found that air exposure increases incubation time for the first hydrogenation. The incubation time was shortened by cold rolling which, however, reduced the hydrogen storage capacity. The Pressure-Composition isotherms of Ti16V60Cr24 + 4 wt.% Zr at 297, 303 and 323 K were determined. The determined enthalpy and entropy of hydrides formation were −41 ± 5 kJ/mol and −134 ± 14 J/mol/K, respectively.

In body-centered cubic (BCC) alloys of transition elements, elemental addition or substitution in the vanadium-based alloys can be beneficial for improving the hydrogen storage properties and for reducing the production cost. In this context, the current study focused on the effect of the substitution of Cr by Fe in Ti16V60Cr24−xFex + 4 wt.% Zr alloys where x = 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24. The microstructure of each alloy was composed of a matrix having a chemical composition close to the nominal one and a Zr-rich region. From X-ray diffraction patterns, it was found that the matrix has a BCC structure, and the Zr-rich regions present the C14 Laves phase structure. The lattice parameter of BCC phases decreased linearly with x, in accordance with Vegard’s law. The measurement of the first hydrogenation at 298 K under 3 MPa of hydrogen revealed a decrease in the maximum hydrogen capacity: 3.8 wt.% for x = 0, 3.1 wt.% for x = 4 and around 2 wt.% for x = 8 to 24. The XRD patterns after hydrogenation showed a BCT phase for all alloys, with a C14 phase for x = 4, 8, 12 and with C14 and C15 for x = 16, 20 and 24.