Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) was applied in studies on electrochemical behaviour of Pd-rich Pd-Ni alloys in basic solutions. The results were compared with those obtained for pure Pd and Ni electrodes. The EQCM frequency response accompanying the desorption of the absorbed hydrogen is strongly influenced by the stresses generated during this process and depends on the alloy composition and the initial content of the absorbed hydrogen. The latter effect is much more pronounced for Pd-Ni alloys than for pure Pd electrode. The gravimmetric analysis of the oxidation processes of Ni(II) compounds on Pd-Ni electrodes and the subsequent reduction of the products is also complicated by the stresses accompanying these processes. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.