The La-Mg-Ni based composites Mm(0.80) Mg0.20Ni2.56Co0.50Mn0.14Al0.12- x wt.% AB(5) (x=0, 10, 20, 30) alloys were successfully synthesized by ball milling method. The structure and electrochemical characteristics of composites have been investigated systematically. The XRD spectroscopy shows that all these composites are mainly composed of La2Ni7 phase and LaNi5 phase. The electrochemical studies suggest that the maximum discharge capacity (C-max) of alloy electrodes decreases slightly from 361.8 mAh/g (x=0) to 337.9 mAh/g (x=10), 353.9 mAh/g (x=20) and 352.8 mAh/g (x=30), while the cycle durability of the composite electrodes is significantly improved. Moreover, the electrochemical kinetic measurements indicate that the x=20 composite alloy electrode presents the best overall electrochemical properties. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.