Hydrogen
Figure: Atom probe tomography is used to show deuterium (hydrogen) segregation
to a grain boundary in Iron. Concentration profiles across the boundary indicate increased
deuterium and carbon concentrations at the grain boundary.
Project description
Hydrogen (H) is an element that plays an increasingly important role in the production and efficient usage of energy. Besides its direct use as an energy source, it influences the way we produce and consume energy decisively in an indirect way; In high-strength materials (Rm > 1000 MPa), the usability and service life is regularly limited by H embrittlement, leading to failures which are notoriously hard to predict. These materials are key e.g. in light-weighting transport systems, wind power generation and H storage and transport systems. In this project, we use highly innovative atom probe tomography (APT) experiments in our custom-built atom probe to systematically address the problem of identifying H sources, trapping sites and diffusional paths and connect them with failure behavior.
Link to article announcing ERC:
English: https://www.fau.eu/2018/08/06/news/research/a-love-of-steel/
German: https://www.fau.de/2018/08/news/wissenschaft/ein-herz-fuer-stahl/