TRAPPING AND DETRAPPING OF HYDROGEN IN CARBON-BASED MATERIALS EXPOSED TO HYDROGEN GAS

Measurements of hydrogen solubility have been performed for several unirradiated and neutron-irradiated graphite (and CFC) samples at temperatures between 700 and 1050 degrees C under a similar or equal to 10 kPa hydrogen atmosphere. The hydrogen dissolution process has been studied and it is discussed here. The values of hydrogen solubility vary substantially among the samples by up to a factor of about 16. A strong correlation has been observed between the values of hydrogen solubility and the degrees of graphitization determined by the X-ray diffraction technique. The relation can be extended even for the neutron-irradiated samples. Hydrogen dissolution into graphite can be explained by the trapping of hydrogen at defect sites (e.g. dangling carbon bonds) considering an equilibrium reaction between hydrogen molecules and the trapping sites. The migration of hydrogen in graphite is speculated to result from a sequence of detrapping and retrapping events with high-energy activation processes.