A great deal of active materials research is underway with an eye to the arrival of the hydrogen economy.
One of the biggest issues is "hydrogen embrittlement": degradation of the mechanical properties of metals induced by hydrogen.
Detection is very difficult because the appearance of the affected metal doesn't change at all, unlike rust or metal oxidation.
NIMS researchers have succeeded in visualizing how hydrogen permeates metal and makes it brittle.
There is currently only a few ways of observing the diffusion of hydrogen.
We are now fielding many inquiries from manufacturers of hydrogen tanks and pipelines.
Watch this video to learn what we've done with our new electron microscope.
10 сен 2024
