Effects of surface coating with polyaniline on electrochemical properties of La–Mg–Ni-based electrode alloys

The effects of surface coating with polyaniline on electrochemical properties of La0.8Mg0.2Ni3.4Al0.1 electrode alloys were studied in this paper. The flake-shaped polyaniline coatings were deposited on the surface of La0.8Mg0.2Ni3.4Al0.1 alloy powders by electrodeless deposition. Electrochemical studies showed that the discharge capacity increased to 391.8 mAh g−1 after surface modification with polyaniline, compared to 382.5 mAh g−1 for the bare alloys. The cyclic stability over 100 cycles improved from 81.6% to 87.5%. Also, the kinetic properties were investigated in detail. •PANI coatings are deposited on alloy surface by electroless deposition.•The PANI coatings increase the cycle life and decrease the HRD.•The cyclic stability is improved from 81.6% to 87.5% after PANI deposition.•The maximum discharge capacity reaches up to 391.8 mAh g−1.