An Atomic‐Scale View at γ’‐Fe4N as Hydrogen Barrier Material
Advanced Materials Interfaces, vol. 12
Abstract
Abstract Hydrogen, while a promising sustainable energy carrier, presents challenges such as the embrittlement of materials due to its ability to penetrate and weaken their crystal structures. Here γ’‐Fe4N nitride layers, formed on iron through a cost‐effective gas nitriding, are investigated as an effective hydrogen permeation barrier. The relatively short process carried out at 570 °C consisted of pre‐nitriding in an atmosphere with higher nitriding potential, followed by treatment in a nitriding potential of 0.0016 Pa−1/2 to obtain a pure γ’ layer. A combination of screening methods, including atom probe tomography, density functional theory calculations, and hydrogen permeation analysis, revealed that the nitride layer reduces hydrogen diffusion (steady‐state hydrogen flux 3.21 x 10−8 mol/m2·s) by a factor of 20 compared to pure iron, at room temperature. This reduction is achieved by creating energetically unfavorable states due to stronger hydrogen‐binding at the surface and high energy barriers for diffusion. The findings demonstrate the potential of γ’‐Fe4N as a cost‐efficient and easy‐to‐process solution to protect metallic materials exposed to hydrogen at low temperatures, with great advantages for large‐scale applications.
Authors 11
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West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin · Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien
Affiliation as printed
Department of Inorganic Chemical Technology and Environment Engineering Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin Piastów Ave. 42 Szczecin 71‐065 Poland
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Max‐Planck‐Straße 1 40237 Düsseldorf Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Korea University Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea
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Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
Affiliation as printed
Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology Daejeon 34114 Republic of Korea
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Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien
Affiliation as printed
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Max‐Planck‐Straße 1 40237 Düsseldorf Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Materials Chemistry RWTH Aachen University Kopernikusstr. 10 52074 Aachen Germany
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Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien · Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
Affiliation as printed
Chemical Data‐Driven Research Center Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology Daejeon 06211 Republic of Korea
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Max‐Planck‐Straße 1 40237 Düsseldorf Germany
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Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien · Delft University of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Delft University of Technology Mekelweg 2 Delft 2628 CD The Netherlands
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Max‐Planck‐Straße 1 40237 Düsseldorf Germany
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Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien
Affiliation as printed
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Max‐Planck‐Straße 1 40237 Düsseldorf Germany
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Seok Su Sohn corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Korea University Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea
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Yonghyuk Lee corresponding
University of California, Los Angeles
Affiliation as printed
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095 USA
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Se‐Ho Kim corresponding
Korea University · Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien
Affiliation as printed
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Korea University Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Max‐Planck‐Straße 1 40237 Düsseldorf Germany
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