To prevent a drop in the discharge characteristic of high efficiency, and provide a high charging and discharging cycle life by laying a porous gas- absorbing layer of nonwoven fabric, formed out of carbon fiber among a plurality of negative electrode plates.

Slurry is prepared by kneading, for example, 99wt.% of the powder of a hydrogen storage alloy for an electrode, with 1wt.% of polyethylene oxide powder as a binding agent and distilled water, and applied to both sides of a current collector. Also, the current collector is dried and rolled. A hydrogen storage plate 3 is thereby formed. Thereafter, nonwoven fabric made, for example, of carbon fiber having a 18μm diameter is laid between electrode plates 3 so formed and inserted in a bag type separator, that is forms a nickel- hydrogen battery negative electrode 5 filled with a gas-absorbing layer made of carbon fiber. In this case, the negative electrode 5 has a three-layer structure with a gas-absorbing layer positioned between two hydrogen storage alloy plates. As a result of fitting the gas-absorbing layer so formed, energy density per battery weight is improved.