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A strong and ductile medium-entropy alloy resists hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion

  • Hong Luo
  • , Seok Su Sohn
  • , Wenjun Lu
  • , Linlin Li
  • , Xiaogang Li*
  • , Chandrahaasan K. Soundararajan
  • , Waldemar Krieger
  • , Zhiming Li*
  • , Dierk Raabe*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • University of Science and Technology Beijing
  • Max Planck Institute for Iron Research
  • Korea University
  • School of Materials Science and Engineering
  • Central South University

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Strong and ductile materials that have high resistance to corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement are rare and yet essential for realizing safety-critical energy infrastructures, hydrogen-based industries, and transportation solutions. Here we report how we reconcile these constraints in the form of a strong and ductile CoNiV medium-entropy alloy with face-centered cubic structure. It shows high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement at ambient temperature at a strain rate of 10−4 s−1, due to its low hydrogen diffusivity and the deformation twinning that impedes crack propagation. Moreover, a dense oxide film formed on the alloy’s surface reduces the hydrogen uptake rate, and provides high corrosion resistance in dilute sulfuric acid with a corrosion current density below 7 μA cm−2. The combination of load carrying capacity and resistance to harsh environmental conditions may qualify this multi-component alloy as a potential candidate material for sustainable and safe infrastructures and devices.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3081
JournalNature Communications
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2020
Externally publishedYes

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