Quantification Challenges for Atom Probe Tomography of Hydrogen and Deuterium in Zircaloy-4

• Published in: Microscopy and microanalysis Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 481 - 488
• Main Authors: Mouton, Isabelle, Breen, Andrew J., Wang, Siyang, Chang, Yanhong, Szczepaniak, Agnieszka, Kontis, Paraskevas, Stephenson, Leigh T., Raabe, Dierk, Herbig, M., Britton, T. Ben, Gault, Baptiste
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.04.2019; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Alloy systems; Alloys; Deuteration; Deuterides; Deuterium; Heavy metals; Hydrides; Hydrogen; Hydrogen storage; Lasers; Materials science; Materials Science: Metals; Molecular ions; Nuclear energy; Tomography; Zircaloys (trademark); Zirconium; Zirconium base alloys; nuclear materials; quantification; hydrogen; deuterium; zirconium alloy; atom probe tomography
• ISSN: 1431-9276; 1435-8115; 1435-8115
• DOI: 10.1017/S143192761801615X

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 the challenges associated with accurate quantification of hydrogen and deuterium, in particular associated with the overlap of peaks at a 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 zirconium alloy systems that are important for nuclear power applications.