Abstract
A statistical mechanical theory of hydrogen diffusion in metals is developed. The mystery of why heavier deuterons can diffuse faster than hydrogens in Pd is resolved by computing the quantum mechanical zero-point energy associated with the confining potential perpendicular to the interstitial channel. An excellent quantitative agreement between theory and experiment is obtained for fcc and bcc host metals.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 351-355 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1991 |
Keywords
- Hydrogen diffusion in metals
- quantum isotope effect
- statistical mechanics of interstitial diffusion
- theory of atomic diffusion