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Title: Activation of erbium films for hydrogen storage

Abstract

Hydriding of metals can be routinely performed at high temperature in a rich hydrogen atmosphere. Prior to the hydrogen loading process, a thermal activation procedure is required to promote facile hydrogen sorption into the metal. Despite the wide spread utilization of this activation procedure, little is known about the chemical and electronic changes that occur during activation and how this thermal pretreatment leads to increased rates of hydrogen uptake. This study utilized variable kinetic energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to interrogate the changes during in situ thermal annealing of erbium films, with results confirmed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and low energy ion scattering. Activation can be identified by a large increase in photoemission between the valence band edge and the Fermi level and appears to occur over a two stage process. The first stage involves desorption of contaminants and recrystallization of the oxide, initially impeding hydrogen loading. Further heating overcomes the first stage and leads to degradation of the passive surface oxide leading to a bulk film more accessible for hydrogen loading.

Authors:
;  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Materials Characterization Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)
  2. Materials Reliability Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)
  3. Applied Science and Technology Maturation Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)
  4. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21538425
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 109; Journal Issue: 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3590335; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ANNEALING; DESORPTION; ERBIUM; FERMI LEVEL; GAMMA RADIATION; HYDROGEN STORAGE; KINETIC ENERGY; MASS SPECTRA; MASS SPECTROSCOPY; PASSIVATION; PHOTOEMISSION; RECRYSTALLIZATION; SCATTERING; SURFACES; THIN FILMS; TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD; TRAINING; UPTAKE; X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY; EDUCATION; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY; ELEMENTS; EMISSION; ENERGY; ENERGY LEVELS; FILMS; HEAT TREATMENTS; IONIZING RADIATIONS; METALS; PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY; RADIATIONS; RARE EARTHS; SECONDARY EMISSION; SORPTION; SPECTRA; SPECTROSCOPY; STORAGE

Citation Formats

Brumbach, Michael T, Ohlhausen, James A, Zavadil, Kevin R, Snow, Clark S, and Woicik, Joseph C. Activation of erbium films for hydrogen storage. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1063/1.3590335.
Brumbach, Michael T, Ohlhausen, James A, Zavadil, Kevin R, Snow, Clark S, & Woicik, Joseph C. Activation of erbium films for hydrogen storage. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3590335
Brumbach, Michael T, Ohlhausen, James A, Zavadil, Kevin R, Snow, Clark S, and Woicik, Joseph C. 2011. "Activation of erbium films for hydrogen storage". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3590335.
@article{osti_21538425,
title = {Activation of erbium films for hydrogen storage},
author = {Brumbach, Michael T and Ohlhausen, James A and Zavadil, Kevin R and Snow, Clark S and Woicik, Joseph C},
abstractNote = {Hydriding of metals can be routinely performed at high temperature in a rich hydrogen atmosphere. Prior to the hydrogen loading process, a thermal activation procedure is required to promote facile hydrogen sorption into the metal. Despite the wide spread utilization of this activation procedure, little is known about the chemical and electronic changes that occur during activation and how this thermal pretreatment leads to increased rates of hydrogen uptake. This study utilized variable kinetic energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to interrogate the changes during in situ thermal annealing of erbium films, with results confirmed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and low energy ion scattering. Activation can be identified by a large increase in photoemission between the valence band edge and the Fermi level and appears to occur over a two stage process. The first stage involves desorption of contaminants and recrystallization of the oxide, initially impeding hydrogen loading. Further heating overcomes the first stage and leads to degradation of the passive surface oxide leading to a bulk film more accessible for hydrogen loading.},
doi = {10.1063/1.3590335},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21538425}, journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
issn = {0021-8979},
number = 11,
volume = 109,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}