Hydrogen-Induced Defects in Palladium

In the present work positron annihilation spectroscopy was employed for investigation of hydrogen-induced defects in Pd. Well annealed Pd samples were electrochemically charged with hydrogen and development of defects with increasing hydrogen concentration $x_{H}$ was investigated. At low concentrations (α-phase, $x_{H}$ < 0.017 H/Pd) hydrogen loading introduced vacancies, since absorbed hydrogen segregating at vacancies lowers remarkably the vacancy formation energy. When hydrogen concentration exceeds 0.017 H/Pd, particles of palladium hydride (PdH) are formed. Stress induced by growing PdH particles leads to plastic deformation which generates dislocations and vacancies in the sample.