Hydrogen transport through oxide metal surface under atom and ion irradiation

Abstract

Both the latest and earlier achieved results on gas exchange processes on metal surfaces (including stainless steel, titanium, zirconium, tungsten with deposited aluminum oxide coating) under hydrogen atom or plasma irradiation with occasional oxygen impurity are presented in the paper. Mechanisms and regularities of these processes are discussed. It is demonstrated that surface oxide layer properties as a diffusion barrier strongly depend on external influence on the surface. In particular, it is revealed that low energy hydrogen ion irradiation could slow down hydrogen desorption from metals. Hydrogen atom or ion irradiation combined with simultaneous oxygen admixture accelerates hydrogen desorption from metals.