Hydrogen Permeation of Eutectic Nb-Zr-Ni Alloy Membranes Containing Primary Phases

Abstract

Hydrogen permeability (φ) of eutectic Nb-Zr-Ni alloy membranes containing the primary phases ZrNi or bcc-(Nb, Zr) was measured using a gas flow meter. φ of the Nb₁₀Zr₄₅Ni₄₅ alloy containing the primary ZrNi phase (16 vol%) was 2.35 × 10⁻⁸ [mol H₂ m⁻¹ s⁻¹ Pa^−0.5] at 673 K, while φ of the Nb₂₀Zr₄₀Ni₄₀ alloy containing the primary bcc-(Nb, Zr) phase (18 vol%) was 2.73 × 10⁻⁸ [mol H₂ m⁻¹ s⁻¹ Pa^−0.5] at 673 K. These values were higher than that of pure Pd and of the Nb₃₉Ti₃₁Ni₃₀ alloy that shows the highest φ value in the Nb-Ti-Ni system. The present work strongly supported our previous proposal that multiphase alloys containing eutectic structures, which suppress a hydrogen embrittlement, are promising as novel hydrogen permeation membranes.