On the analysis of the simultaneous uptake and desorption of different isotopes of gaseous hydrogen by advanced high strength steels

Abstract Facing the hydrogen embrittlement challenge requires the understanding of hydrogen-metal interactions. Due to its natural scarcity, the deuterium isotope is often used in dedicated experiments. When both isotopes are mutually exposed, isotopic exchanges can occur, leading to the formation of HD molecules. This work deals with the HD formation during thermal desorption analysis (TDA) of steel samples containing both hydrogen and deuterium. A method is proposed to compute the HD amount based on the H 2 and D 2 spectra measured by TDA and assessed experimentally. It appears that this HD contribution must be considered for a correct interpretation of the results.