Nickel-lanthanum alloy produced by a reduction-diffusion process

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR STORING HYDROGEN IN PARTICLES OF NICKELLANTHANUM ALLOY RANGING IN SIZE FROM ABOUT 10 MICRONS TO 50 MICRONS BY CONTACTING THE PARTICLES WITH HYDROGEN GAS WHICH IS SELECTIVELY ABSORBED BY SAID PARTICLES, SAID ALLOY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A COMPOSITION WITHIN 15% BY WEIGHT OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC COMPOSITION OF THE NI5LA INTERMETALLIC COMPOUND, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING FORMING SAID ALLOY PARTICLES BY PROVIDING A PARTICULATE MIXTURE OF LANTHANUM OXIDE, CALCIUM HYDIDE AND NICKEL, SAID CALCIUM HYDRIDE BEING USED IN AN AMOUNT IN EXCESS OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNT NECESSARY TO REDUCE LANTHANUM OXIDE, HEATING SAID PARTICULATE MIXTURE IN A NON-REACTIVE ATMOSPHERE TO DECOMPOSE SAID CLACIUM HYDRIDE AND THEREBY EFFECT REDUCTION OF SAID LANTHANUM CONSTITUENT, THEN HEATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE IN A NON-REACTIVE ATMOSPHERE TO DIFFUSE THE RESULTING LANTHANUM METAL INTO SAID NICKEL PARTICLES TO FORM SAID ALLOY, LEAVING THE RESULTING ALLOYCONTAINING MIXTURE IN AN OXIDIZING OR MOISTURE-CONTAINING ATMOSPHERE TO OXIDIZE OR HYDROLYZE THE EXCESS CALCIUM PRECIPITATED THEREIN CAUSING SAID MIXTURE TO DISINTEGRATE, AND RECOVERING SAID NICKEL-LANTHANUM ALLOY PARTICLES.