2015 Volume 25 Issue 1 Pages 26-31
The deuterization process of fcc Fe to form solid‒solution fcc FeDx was investigated by in situ neutron diffraction measurements at high temperature and high pressure. In a completely deuterized specimen at 988 K and 6.3 GPa, deuterium atoms occupy the octahedral and tetrahedral interstitial sites with an occupancy of 0.532(9) and 0.056(5), respectively, giving a deuterium composition x of 0.64(1). During deuterization, the metal‒lattice expands approximately linearly with deuterium composition at a rate of 2.21 Å3 per deuterium atom. The minor occupation of tetrahedral site is likely driven by the intersite movement of deuterium atoms along the <111> direction in the fcc metal lattice. These results provide implications for the light elements in the Earth's core and the mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement of ferrous metals.
