A Kelvin probe force microscopy study of hydrogen insertion and desorption into 2024 aluminum alloy

Publication date: 25 October 2017 Source:Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 722 Author(s): Manon Chloé Lafouresse, Marie-Laëtitia de Bonfils-Lahovary, Cédric Charvillat, Loïc Oger, Lydia Laffont, Christine Blanc Hydrogen was inserted into 2024 aluminum alloy by cathodic polarization in sulfuric acid at 25 °C. Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM) measurements performed perpendicularly to the charging side revealed a potential gradient and confirmed the insertion of hydrogen over hundreds of microns. A hydrogen diffusion coefficient of 1.7 × 10−9 cm2 s−1 was calculated from SKPFM measurements of H-charged samples for different durations. The evolution of the potential gradient during desorption of hydrogen in air, at room temperature and at 130 °C was investigated. Additional experiments performed at a corrosion defect showed that SKPFM could detect both reversibly and irreversibly bounded hydrogen. These results show that SKPFM is a cutting-edge technique for hydrogen detection and localization at a local scale. Graphical abstract

Source: Journal of Alloys and Compounds - June 23, 2017 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research