Effects of hydrogen in a vanadium grain boundary: From site occupancy to mechanical properties

We have investigated site occupancy and mechanical properties of a vanadium (V) Σ5(310)/[001] grain boundary (GB) with hydrogen (H) using a first-principles method. The segregation energy is calculated to be -0.29 eV for the energetically favorable V GB interstitial site, indicating that H energetically prefers to segregate into the V GB. We demonstrate that H can largely affect the mechanical properties of the V GB. The tensile strength and the Griffith fracture energy are reduced by approximately 13% (to 18.42 GPa) and 10% (to 1.74 J/m²) because of H segregation in comparison with that of the clean V GB, respectively. Our total energy calculations show that H acts as an embrittler to the V GB based on the Rice-Wang model. The atomic configurations and charge transfer analysis show that the segregated H weakens the surrounding interfacial V-V bonds, leading to the V GB mechanical properties degradation.