Influence of Nanoxides on Diffusivity and Solubility of Hydrogen in Pd-based alloys

These alloys are produced by arc-melting and then cold rolled into thin foils. Heat treatment at 800ºC for 24h in air atmosphere is applied to induce internal oxidation.

Hydrogen permeation tests and TDS (Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy) are carried out to evaluate hydrogen interaction with three different microstructures which can be characterized by dislocations, substitutional atoms and nanoxides. For alloys argon annealed, Ce is the element that delays the most hydrogen diffusion, followed by Zr and Y. However alloys with yttrium nanoxides exhibit the highest solubility and the smallest diffusivity due to their small size, spherical shape and dispersion throughout the matrix.