A strong and ductile medium-entropy alloy resists hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion

Hong Luo, Seok Su Sohn, Wenjun Lu, Linlin Li, Xiaogang Li, Chandrahaasan K. Soundararajan, Waldemar Krieger, Zhiming Li, Dierk Raabe

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    231 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Strong and ductile materials that have high resistance to corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement are rare and yet essential for realizing safety-critical energy infrastructures, hydrogen-based industries, and transportation solutions. Here we report how we reconcile these constraints in the form of a strong and ductile CoNiV medium-entropy alloy with face-centered cubic structure. It shows high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement at ambient temperature at a strain rate of 10−4 s−1, due to its low hydrogen diffusivity and the deformation twinning that impedes crack propagation. Moreover, a dense oxide film formed on the alloy’s surface reduces the hydrogen uptake rate, and provides high corrosion resistance in dilute sulfuric acid with a corrosion current density below 7 μA cm−2. The combination of load carrying capacity and resistance to harsh environmental conditions may qualify this multi-component alloy as a potential candidate material for sustainable and safe infrastructures and devices.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number3081
    JournalNature communications
    Volume11
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2020 Jun 17

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2020, The Author(s).

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
    • General Physics and Astronomy

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