Microstructure-dependent hydrogen embrittlement of stainless steels for green hydrogen applications

IF 4.5 4区材料科学 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, CHARACTERIZATION & TESTING

Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials Pub Date : 2026-03-31 DOI:10.1007/s11043-026-09868-2

Franceleno Silva Pereira, Marcos Natan da Silva Lima, Francisco Felipe de M. Fideles, Ana Aline Coelho Alcanfor, Pedro Queiros Santiago, Beatriz Farias Fonseca, Marcelo José Gomes da Silva, Ênio Pontes de Deus, Hamilton Ferreira Gomes de Abreu, Walney Silva Araújo, Mauro Andres Cerra Florez

{"title":"Microstructure-dependent hydrogen embrittlement of stainless steels for green hydrogen applications","authors":"Franceleno Silva Pereira, Marcos Natan da Silva Lima, Francisco Felipe de M. Fideles, Ana Aline Coelho Alcanfor, Pedro Queiros Santiago, Beatriz Farias Fonseca, Marcelo José Gomes da Silva, Ênio Pontes de Deus, Hamilton Ferreira Gomes de Abreu, Walney Silva Araújo, Mauro Andres Cerra Florez","doi":"10.1007/s11043-026-09868-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The storage and transportation of green hydrogen (GH<sub>2</sub>) pose significant challenges for structural materials, particularly due to hydrogen embrittlement (HE), which can degrade the mechanical properties of steels through hydrogen–metal interactions. Understanding the susceptibility of candidate materials to hydrogen-induced damage is therefore essential for the safe deployment of hydrogen infrastructure. This study investigates the hydrogen embrittlement behavior of three stainless steels: ferritic stainless steel 410D, ferritic–martensitic stainless steel 410T, and duplex stainless steel 2205. Hydrogen was introduced through electrochemical charging via chronoamperometry in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, a widely used laboratory approach to promote controlled hydrogen ingress and simulate hydrogen–material interactions relevant to hydrogen service conditions. The influence of charging temperature and exposure time was also evaluated. A comprehensive characterization methodology was employed, including microstructural analysis, chemical composition, hardness and microhardness measurements, uniaxial tensile tests before and after hydrogen exposure, and hydrogen permeation experiments to evaluate hydrogen absorption, diffusion, and transport behavior. The results indicate that hydrogen diffusivity plays a key role in the embrittlement response of the investigated alloys. The ferritic stainless steel 410D exhibited the highest susceptibility to hydrogen-induced degradation, showing the greatest reduction in mechanical properties and the highest hydrogen diffusion coefficient. In contrast, duplex stainless steel 2205 showed comparatively lower hydrogen diffusivity and reduced mechanical degradation under the tested conditions. Overall, the study highlights the critical influence of alloy microstructure, temperature, and exposure time on hydrogen embrittlement behavior and provides a comparative ranking of steel resistance to hydrogen-induced damage under the conditions analyzed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":698,"journal":{"name":"Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials","volume":"30 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11043-026-09868-2.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11043-026-09868-2","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, CHARACTERIZATION & TESTING","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The storage and transportation of green hydrogen (GH₂) pose significant challenges for structural materials, particularly due to hydrogen embrittlement (HE), which can degrade the mechanical properties of steels through hydrogen–metal interactions. Understanding the susceptibility of candidate materials to hydrogen-induced damage is therefore essential for the safe deployment of hydrogen infrastructure. This study investigates the hydrogen embrittlement behavior of three stainless steels: ferritic stainless steel 410D, ferritic–martensitic stainless steel 410T, and duplex stainless steel 2205. Hydrogen was introduced through electrochemical charging via chronoamperometry in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, a widely used laboratory approach to promote controlled hydrogen ingress and simulate hydrogen–material interactions relevant to hydrogen service conditions. The influence of charging temperature and exposure time was also evaluated. A comprehensive characterization methodology was employed, including microstructural analysis, chemical composition, hardness and microhardness measurements, uniaxial tensile tests before and after hydrogen exposure, and hydrogen permeation experiments to evaluate hydrogen absorption, diffusion, and transport behavior. The results indicate that hydrogen diffusivity plays a key role in the embrittlement response of the investigated alloys. The ferritic stainless steel 410D exhibited the highest susceptibility to hydrogen-induced degradation, showing the greatest reduction in mechanical properties and the highest hydrogen diffusion coefficient. In contrast, duplex stainless steel 2205 showed comparatively lower hydrogen diffusivity and reduced mechanical degradation under the tested conditions. Overall, the study highlights the critical influence of alloy microstructure, temperature, and exposure time on hydrogen embrittlement behavior and provides a comparative ranking of steel resistance to hydrogen-induced damage under the conditions analyzed.

查看原文本刊更多论文

绿色氢应用中不锈钢的微观结构依赖氢脆

绿色氢（GH2）的储存和运输对结构材料提出了重大挑战，特别是由于氢脆（HE），它可以通过氢-金属相互作用降低钢的机械性能。因此，了解候选材料对氢致损伤的敏感性对于氢基础设施的安全部署至关重要。本文研究了铁素体不锈钢410D、铁素体-马氏体不锈钢410T和双相不锈钢2205的氢脆行为。在3.5 wt.%的NaCl溶液中，通过计时安培法进行电化学充电，引入氢气，这是一种广泛使用的实验室方法，用于促进可控的氢气进入，并模拟与氢气使用条件相关的氢-材料相互作用。并对充电温度和曝光时间的影响进行了评价。采用了综合表征方法，包括微观组织分析、化学成分、硬度和显微硬度测量、氢暴露前后的单轴拉伸试验和氢渗透实验，以评估氢的吸收、扩散和输运行为。结果表明，氢扩散率对合金的脆化响应起关键作用。铁素体不锈钢410D对氢致降解的敏感性最高，力学性能下降幅度最大，氢扩散系数最高。相比之下，双相不锈钢2205在测试条件下表现出相对较低的氢扩散率和较低的机械退化。总体而言，该研究强调了合金显微组织、温度和暴露时间对氢脆行为的关键影响，并提供了在所分析条件下钢抗氢致损伤的比较排名。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials 工程技术-材料科学：表征与测试

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

8.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials accepts contributions dealing with the time-dependent mechanical properties of solid polymers, metals, ceramics, concrete, wood, or their composites. It is recognized that certain materials can be in the melt state as function of temperature and/or pressure. Contributions concerned with fundamental issues relating to processing and melt-to-solid transition behaviour are welcome, as are contributions addressing time-dependent failure and fracture phenomena. Manuscripts addressing environmental issues will be considered if they relate to time-dependent mechanical properties. The journal promotes the transfer of knowledge between various disciplines that deal with the properties of time-dependent solid materials but approach these from different angles. Among these disciplines are: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Rheology, Materials Science, Polymer Physics, Design, and others.