Observation of hydrogen trapping at dislocations, grain boundaries, and precipitates

Hydrogen embrittlement of high-strength steel is an obstacle for using these steels in sustainable energy production. Hydrogen embrittlement involves hydrogen-defect interactions at multiple-length scales. However, the challenge of measuring the precise location of hydrogen atoms limits our understa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2020-01, Vol.367 (6474), p.171-175
Main Authors: Chen, Yi-Sheng, Lu, Hongzhou, Liang, Jiangtao, Rosenthal, Alexander, Liu, Hongwei, Sneddon, Glenn, McCarroll, Ingrid, Zhao, Zhengzhi, Li, Wei, Guo, Aimin, Cairney, Julie M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic properties
Balances (scales)
Boundaries
Fuel cells
Fuel technology
Grain boundaries
Heat treating
High strength steels
Hydrogen
Hydrogen atoms
Hydrogen embrittlement
Hydrogen-based energy
Interfaces
Niobium
Niobium carbide
Observation
Precipitates
Renewable energy
Spectroscopy
Steel
Sustainability
Thermal desorption spectroscopy
Tomography
Trapping
Weight reduction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Hydrogen embrittlement of high-strength steel is an obstacle for using these steels in sustainable energy production. Hydrogen embrittlement involves hydrogen-defect interactions at multiple-length scales. However, the challenge of measuring the precise location of hydrogen atoms limits our understanding. Thermal desorption spectroscopy can identify hydrogen retention or trapping, but data cannot be easily linked to the relative contributions of different microstructural features. We used cryo-transfer atom probe tomography to observe hydrogen at specific microstructural features in steels. Direct observation of hydrogen at carbon-rich dislocations and grain boundaries provides validation for embrittlement models. Hydrogen observed at an incoherent interface between niobium carbides and the surrounding steel provides direct evidence that these incoherent boundaries can act as trapping sites. This information is vital for designing embrittlement-resistant steels.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaz0122