Hydrogen Permeation through Nickel

Abstract

The time dependence of the rates of permeation of hydrogen through annealed and as-rolled nickel foils was measured in the temperature ranges 120–430°C and 80–200°C, respectively. Annealed specimens exhibited permeabilities, diffusivities and solubilities that were in fairly good agreement with previous results, while the permeation characteristics of an as-rolled specimen differed from those of the annealed ones owing to the trapping of hydrogen at sites probably associated with vacancies. The trap binding energy was about 0.26 eV. Furthermore, anomalous permeation due to an oxide barrier was observed after specimens were kept under low vacuum for a long time. This anomaly exhibited a characteristic behavior around the Curie point.