Quantification challenges for atom probe tomography of hydrogen and deuterium in Zircaloy-4

Abstract

Analysis and understanding of the role of hydrogen in metals is a significant challenge for the future of materials science, and this is a clear objective of recent work in the atom probe tomography (APT) community. Isotopic marking by deuteration has often been proposed as the preferred route to enable quantification of hydrogen by APT. Zircaloy-4 was charged electrochemically with hydrogen and deuterium under the same conditions to form large hydrides and deuterides. Our results from a Zr hydride and a Zr deuteride highlight challenges associated to accurate quantification of hydrogen and deuterium, in particular associated to the overlap of peaks at low mass-to-charge ratio and of hydrogen/deuterium containing molecular ions. We discuss possible ways to ensure that appropriate information is extracted from APT analysis of hydrogen in a zirconium alloy systems that is important for nuclear power.

References in corpus (3)

• Behavior of molecules and molecular ions near a field emitter
• Characterizing solute hydrogen and hydrides in pure and alloyed titanium at the atomic scale
• Some aspects of the field evaporation behaviour of GaSb

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• Optimizing site-specific specimen preparation for Atom Probe Tomography by using hydrogen for visualizing radiation-induced damage
• Nanoscale characterisation of hydrides and secondary phase particles in Zircaloy-4
• Machine-learning-enhanced time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis
• Slip-hydride interactions in Zircaloy-4: Multiscale mechanical testing and characterisation
• Microstructural characteristics, atomic-scale features, and growth mechanisms of deuterides (hydrides) in hafnium