When exposed to hydrogen-containing mixtures, the alloy serves as a sponge, absorbing hydrogen from the mixture until it becomes saturated. It greatly enhances hydrogen uptake. The hydride electrode used in nickel metal hydride batteries contain similar hydride storage materials.
Electrical storage is accomplished by charging the materials with hydrogen.
There is also an increase in the durability of the hydride electrode. A patent is pending. The rate of sorption can be measured at REB using the following apparatus in which a sorber sample is exposed to hydrogen in a carrier gas, typically helium, at an appropriate temperature. Figure 3 shows the hydrogen concentration downstream of the sample. The sorber reached effective saturation with less than 100,000 scc of elapsed flow, or in less than 1 day at this flow rate.