Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Yutaka Ohya

Shinya Morishita

Shin-ichi Towata

Kazuhiko Itoh

Hiroshi Kawase

Katsushi Abe

Shunsuke Yamakawa

Steam is contacted with a hydrogen absorbing alloy in a temperature range from 200.degree. C. to 400.degree. C. With a contact catalytic reaction of water, a metal contained in the hydrogen absorbing alloy is changed to an oxide or a hydroxide. Hydrogen produced causes the Ni compound to be reduced and thereby the Ni metal that is catalytically active is produced. Thus, the surface of the hydrogen absorbing alloy is activated. The steam is contained in an inert gas or a reductive gas. This treatment method is suitable as an activation treatment for a hydrogen absorbing alloy used as an active material of a negative electrode of a secondary battery.

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Nagoya, Japan

Yutaka Ohya