As the second part of a study on the effects of annealing treatment on AB(2
)-type hydrogen storage alloys, the effect of annealing treatment on electr
ochemical properties of two multi-component alloys is reported in this pape
r. The effects on the electrochemical properties are closely related to the
stable Laves phase structure. When the stable phase is C15, annealing trea
tment leads to an increase of the stability of the alloy hydride, a great d
ecrease of the electrocatalytic activity and a significant decrease of the
discharge capacity. When the stable phase is C14 after annealing treatment,
the stability of its hydride decreases, the electrocatalytic activity decr
eases slightly, and the discharge capacity remains almost unchanged. For al
l AB(2) alloys, annealing treatment also leads to deterioration in the acti
vation property and improvement in the cycle Life. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc
e S.A. All rights reserved.