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Hydrogen embrittlement in metallic nanowires
Sheng Yin1, Guangming Cheng2, Tzu-Hsuan Chang2
1School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA.
Nature Communications
|May 3, 2019
Summary
Hydrogen embrittlement in metallic nanowires (NWs) is poorly understood. Surface hydrogen enhances yield strength by suppressing dislocation nucleation, altering failure mechanisms in silver NWs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Hydrogen embrittlement is a known phenomenon in bulk metals, but its mechanisms in nanostructures remain unclear.
- Deformation and failure in nanostructures are often governed by dislocation nucleation processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fundamental mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement in metallic nanostructures.
- To utilize metallic nanowires (NWs) as a model system for studying hydrogen effects at the nanoscale.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) nanomechanical testing.
- Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
- In-situ stress relaxation experiments.
Main Results:
- Penta-twinned silver (Ag) nanowires (NWs) exhibited enhanced yield strength in the presence of surface-adsorbed hydrogen.
- A transition in failure mechanism from distributed plasticity to localized necking was observed.
- Hydrogen-induced suppression of dislocation nucleation at the NW free surface was identified as the governing mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Surface-adsorbed hydrogen significantly influences the mechanical behavior and failure modes of metallic nanowires.
- Dislocation nucleation suppression is a key factor in hydrogen embrittlement at the nanoscale.
- Metallic NWs provide a valuable platform for understanding fundamental hydrogen-metal interactions.
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