A study of the degradation of the electrochemical capacity of amorphous Mg50Ni50 alloy

The degradation of the electrochemical capacity of amorphous Mg50Ni50 alloy during charge-discharge cycling is investigated. The surface morphology and structure of the alloy before and after electrochemical cycling is examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The composition profiles of magnesium, nickel and oxygen are determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These results suggest that the capacity deterioration can be attributed to the oxidation of magnesium and nickel in KOH solution during the discharge process, and the reduction of Ni(OH)2 to nickel during the charge process.