Wilde laboratory

How does hydrogen enter through surfaces into metals?

Overview

Hydrogen absorption into bulk metals and nanoparticles plays a key role in the industrial storage and purification of H2 for clean energy applications such as fuel cells and also in hydrogenation catalysis. This research clarifies the microscopic reaction routes that connect the hydrogen states in the H2 gas, adsorbed on the surface, and in the interior of H-absorbing metals such as palladium (Pd). Atomic level insight into the surface penetration process is obtained by using isotopic labeling (H, D) and well-characterized model surfaces of pure and modified (alloyed) Pd single crystals. The fundamental understanding of the absorption mechanism paves the way for the controlled design of novel highly efficient hydrogen storage materials and selective hydrogenation catalysts.

Latest research topics

  • Hydrogen storage
    • H-Absorption/Release Mechanism
  • Hydrogenation Catalysis
    • Reactivity of ‘Subsurface-H’
  • MOS Devices
    • Relation of H-Impurities and Reliability

　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　

 

Experimental Techniques

  • Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA):
    • Non-destructive, Quantitative
    • High-resolution - Hydrogen Depth Profiling
    • Visualization of H-breathing by metallic nanocrystals and hydride nucleation beneath surfaces
  • Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS)
    • Bonding stability evaluation of hydrogen species
    • Hydrogen absorption kinetics
    • Gas/surface/subsurface-H exchange mechanism
    • Kinetic isotope effects