Absorption/desorption behavior of hydrogen and deuterium in a Pd-coated Zr-based amorphous alloy

Palladium (Pd) coating was found to enhance significantly the absorption/desorption behavior of hydrogen in amorphous Zr69.5Cu12Ni11Al7.5, thereby improving the applicability of this alloy to hydrogen storage systems. This paper demonstrates the different characteristics of deuterium/hydrogen absorption/desorption in this Pd-coated metallic glass. Pd-coated amorphous ribbons were electrochemically charged with hydrogen or deuterium to various concentrations. Absorption and desorption characteristics were determined by means of a hydrogen determinator and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), respectively. Hydrogen effects on the thermal stability and crystallization characteristics were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hydrogen uptake was found to be twice faster than that of deuterium. Hydrogen-induced phase transformations, however, might prevent the use of this alloy for hydrogen storage applications.