Abstract
The effects of hydrogen absorption on the structure, mechanical and thermal properties of Zr57Al10Cu15.4Ni12.6Nb5 amorphous metal were investigated. Structural analysis, using X-ray diffraction, showed that prominent peak shift towards lower angles (from 37.55° to 37.47°) after 1h of hydrogen charging in 0.1M NaOH solution which indicates a volume expansion of the amorphous structure. By means of nanoindentation tests, we found that hydrogen-induced glass plasticity could occur in Zr-based metallic glass even for high Zr content (>50at.%). The thermal stability against crystallization, evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), has been improved by hydrogen absorption. The onset crystallization temperature was increased by 6°C to 10°C due to slight hydrogen addition. The resistance to hydrogen embrittlement combined with high thermal stability gives rise to the possibility of the practical use of Zr57Al10Cu15.4Ni12.6Nb5 amorphous alloy as a good metal membrane operating at temperatures below 400°C.
•Hydrogen charging of Zr-based amorphous alloy induces a volume expansion of structure.•Hydrogen addition induces structural softening of Zr-based amorphous alloy with high Zr content.•Hydrogen absorption improves the thermal stability of Zr57Al10Cu15.4Ni12.6Nb5 amorphous alloy.•Zr57Al10Cu15.4Ni12.6Nb5 metallic glass has significant potential to replace Pd- for H-purification.