Concerning atomic sites and capacities for hydrogen absorption in the AB2 Friauf-Laves phases

Structural and In Situ X-ray Diffraction Study of Hydrogenation of CaxMg1−xNi2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)

In the quasi-binary system CaNi2-MgNi2 solid-solutions CaxMg1−xNi2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) were prepared from the elements. They crystallize in the hexagonal Laves phase type (MgNi2, C36) for x ≤ 0.33 (P63/mmc, a = 482.51(7) pm, c = 1582.1(3) pm for x = 0, a = 482.59(3), c = 1583.1(1) for x = 0.33) and in the cubic Laves phase type (MgCu2, C15) for 0.33 < x (Fd3¯m, a = 697.12(3) pm for x = 0.5, a = 705.11(2) pm for x = 0.67, a = 724.80(2) pm for x = 1). After hydrogenation in an autoclave the X-ray diffraction patterns changed completely. Reflections assigned to CaNiH3, and Ni and Rietveld refinement confirmed this. The hydrogenation properties of CaxMg1−xNi2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds were also studied in situ by X-ray powder diffraction. In situ X-ray powder diffraction of CaxMg1−xNi2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds under 0.3 MPa hydrogen gas flow (15 sccm), data collected on a Rigaku SmartLab diffractometer in an Anton Paar XRK 900 Reactor Chamber using Cu-Kα1 radiation. Scanning electron microscopy and EDX spectroscopy confirmed the entitled materials and elemental composition, respectively. From the Transmission electron microscopy and Selected area electron diffraction concluded that the CaxMg1−xNi2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds were crystalline.

Absorption and desorption of hydrogen in Ti1.02Cr1.1Mn0.3Fe0.6RE0.03: experiments, characterization and analytical interpretation using statistical physics treatment

In this work, the absorption and desorption isotherms of hydrogen on Ti1.02Cr1.1Mn0.3Fe0.6RE0.03 (RE = La, Ce, Ho) metals were collected at three temperatures under the same experimental conditions. This was carried out in order to determine the rare earth effect on the hydrogen storage performance of the Ti1.02Cr1.1Mn0.3Fe0.6 metal. The equilibrium data showing the hydrogen absorbed/released amounts per unit of absorbent mass have provided useful details to describe the absorption/desorption processes. Indeed, statistical physics formalism is appealing to ascribe advanced interpretations to the complexation mechanism. The physico-chemical parameters included in the model analytical expression are numerically determined from the experimental data fitting. We have found that the model can describe the complexation process through steric parameters such as the site densities (N 1m and N 2m), the numbers of atoms per site (n 1 and n 2) and energetic parameters (P 1 and P 2). The behavior of each parameter is examined in relation to the sorption mechanism. Overall, the energetic interpretation reveals that the desorption and absorption of H-gas in the Ti1.02Cr1.1Mn0.3Fe0.6RE0.03 alloys can be characterized by chemical interactions. In addition, the expression of the appropriate model is exploited to determine the thermodynamic potential functions that describe the absorption phenomenon.

Evidence of hydrogen trapping at second phase particles in zirconium alloys

Zirconium alloys are used in safety-critical roles in the nuclear industry and their degradation due to ingress of hydrogen in service is a concern. In this work experimental evidence, supported by density functional theory modelling, shows that the α-Zr matrix surrounding second phase particles acts as a trapping site for hydrogen, which has not been previously reported in zirconium. This is unaccounted for in current models of hydrogen behaviour in Zr alloys and as such could impact development of these models. Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-4 samples were corroded at 350 °C in simulated pressurised water reactor coolant before being isotopically spiked with 2H2O in a second autoclave step. The distribution of 2H, Fe and Cr was characterised using nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and high-resolution energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. 2H- was found to be concentrated around second phase particles in the α-Zr lattice with peak hydrogen isotope ratios of 2H/1H = 0.018-0.082. DFT modelling confirms that the hydrogen thermodynamically favours sitting in the surrounding zirconium matrix rather than within the second phase particles. Knowledge of this trapping mechanism will inform the development of current understanding of zirconium alloy degradation through-life.

The crystal structure of ZrCr2D≈4 at 50 K ≤ T ≤ 200 K

Many Laves phases take up considerable amounts of hydrogen to form metallic Laves phase hydrides. They frequently undergo phase transitions driven by ordering phenomena for the hydrogen atom distribution. The cubic Laves phase ZrCr2 takes up hydrogen to form a hydride with almost four hydrogen atoms per formula unit, which undergoes a phase transition to a monoclinic modification at a critical temperature T c = 250.2 K. Its crystal structure was refined based on neutron powder diffraction data on the deuteride (ZrCr2D3.8 type [T = 1.6 K, C2/c]) at four temperatures in the range 50 K ≤ T ≤ 200 K. The monoclinic low-temperature modification features a strongly distorted square anti-prism ZrD8 and three CrD4 polyhedra with almost fully occupied deuterium sites in saddle-like, distorted tetrahedral and planar configurations. Zr–D distances are in the range 201.4(7) pm ≤ d(Zr–D) ≤ 208.5(8) pm and Cr–D distances in the range 172.9(7) pm ≤ d(Cr–D) ≤ 182.4(8) pm.

Hydrogen order in hydrides of Laves phases

Many Laves phases AM 2 takes up hydrogen to form interstitial hydrides in which hydrogen atoms partially occupy A 2 M 2, AM 3, and/or M 4 tetrahedral interstices. They often exhibit temperature-driven order-disorder phase transitions, which are triggered by repulsion of hydrogen atoms occupying neighboring tetrahedral interstices. Because of the phase widths with respect to hydrogen a complete ordering, i.e., full occupation of all hydrogen positions is usually not achieved. Order-disorder transitions in Laves phase hydrides are thus phase transitions between crystal structures with different degrees of hydrogen order. Comparing the crystal structures of ordered and disordered phases reveals close symmetry relationships in all known cases. This allows new insights into the crystal chemical description of such phases and into the nature of the phase transitions. Structural relationships for over 40 hydrides of cubic and hexagonal Laves phases ZrV2, HfV2, ZrCr2, ZrCo2, LaMg2, CeMg2, PrMg2, NdMg2, SmMg2, YMn2, ErMn2, TmMn2, LuMn2, Lu0.4Y0.6Mn2 YFe2, and ErFe2 are concisely described in terms of crystallographic group-subgroup schemes (Bärnighausen trees) covering 32 different crystal structure types, 26 of which represent hydrogen-ordered crystal structures.

Hydrogenation Properties of Laves Phases LnMg2 (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb)

The hydrogenation properties of Laves phases LnMg₂ (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb) were investigated by thermal analysis, X-ray, synchrotron, and neutron powder diffraction. At 14.0 MPa hydrogen gas pressure and 393 K, PrMg₂ and NdMg₂ take up hydrogen and form the colorless, ternary hydrides PrMg₂H₇ (P4₁2₁2, a = 632.386(6) pm, c = 945.722(11) pm) and NdMg₂H₇ (P4₁2₁2, a = 630.354(9) pm, c = 943.018(16) pm). The crystal structures were refined by the Rietveld method from neutron powder diffraction data on the deuterides (PrMg₂D₇, P4₁2₁2, a = 630.56(2) pm, c = 943.27(3) pm; NdMg₂D₇, P4₁2₁2, a = 628.15(2) pm, c = 940.32(3) pm) and shown to be isotypic to LaMg₂D₇. The LaMg₂D₇ type of hydrides decompose at 695 K (La), 684 K (Ce), 684 K (Pr), 672 K (Nd), and 639 K (Sm) to lanthanide hydrides and magnesium. The Laves phase EuMg₂ forms a hydride EuMg₂H_x of black color. Its crystal structure (P2₁2₁2₁, a = 664.887(4) pm, b = 1136.993(7) pm, c = 1069.887(7) pm) is closely related to the hexagonal Laves phase (MgZn₂ type) of the hydrogen-free parent intermetallic. GdMg₂ and TbMg₂ form hydrides GdMg₂H_x with orthorhombic unit cells (a = 1282.7(4) pm, b = 572.5(2) pm, c = 881.7(2) pm) and TbMg₂H_x (a = 617.8(3) pm, b = 1045.8(8) pm, c = 997.1(5) pm), presumably also with a distorted MgZn₂ type of structure. CeMg₂H₇ and NdMg₂H₇ are paramagnetic with effective magnetic moments of 2.49(1) μ_B and 3.62(1) μ_B, respectively, in good agreement with the calculated magnetic moments of the free trivalent rare-earth cations (μ_calc(Ce³⁺) = 2.54 μ_B; μ_calc(Nd³⁺) = 3.62 μ_B).