HYSYDAYS
1st World Congress of Young Scientists on Hydrogen Energy Systems

ISBN Print: 1-56700-230-7

H2 PLASMA FOR HYDROGEN LOADING IN METALS

DOI: 10.1615/HYSYDAYS2005.320
pages 215-220

Sinopsis

The research is focused on the storage of hydrogen in metals enhanced by means of physical or physico-chemical agents. The effect of external electric fields, i.e. H2 plasmas, has been investigated on palladium.
The absorption of hydrogen by Pd wires has been studied in the β phase, near room temperature and between 2 and 0.02 bar, under both tensile stress and tensile stress under cold H2 plasma.
Plasma is generated in a corona discharge regime by applying a dc high voltage between the Pd wire and a cylindrical counterelectrode.
Three independent experimental quantities have been simultaneously measured: hydrogen concentration, electrical resistance and elongation of the wire. At constant H2 pressure, temperature, and tensile stress the hydrogen concentration under cold plasma is always higher.
Some of the most interesting results concerning positive corona are reported here, while a more detailed presentation and discussion can be found in a recent publication [1], where thermodynamic treatment of data is also carried out.
At the present time we are performing measurements at lower pressure (α+β phase) and characterizing the plasma with a Langmuir probe. Effects on other metals will be investigated in the near future.