R & D OF HYDROGEN ABSORBING ALLOYS IN JAPAN

The R & D of hydrogen absorbing alloys in Japan started in the early 1970s.Many alloys such as TiMm1.5 based alloys, Fe-Ti-O alloys (e.g. FeTi1.15 O0.024) andthe(mischmetal)Ni5 based alloys (e.g. MmNi4.5 Cr0.46 Mn0.04) were developed by the early 1980s. The application of these alloys to hydrogen storage, heat storage, heat pump, hydrogen purification and motor vehicles has been tried in many iaboratories,and the various techniques for using hydrogen absorbing alloys have been developed.The standarkization of evaluation methods for hydrogen absorbing alloys has been promoted by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), and four of them were established as Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS).Alloys for Ni-Metal Hydride batteries have been extensively investigated since 1987in Japun. Mm-Ni-Co-Al-Mn alloys (e.g. MmNi3.55 Co0.75Al0.9Mn0.4) have been devel-oped and commereialized since 1990. The amount of production of small-size Ni-MH batteries in 1995 was about three hundred milliion in number and about one hundred billion yen. The R & D for higher enerpy-density Ni-MH batteries is intensively in progress.MITI and STA (Science and Technology Agency) have promoted the R & D of hydro-gen absorbing alloys in Japan by carrying out the national projects such as Sunshine Program (MITI: 1974-1993) and Utilization of Wind Engeray (STA 1980-1985). The New Sunshine Program (MITI 1993-2020) have started in 1993. This program con-tains the application of hydrogen absorbing alloys to Economical- Enerpy- City System and to We-NET (International Clean Energy System of Technology Utilizing Hydro-gen: World Energy Network.