Formation and time dynamics of hydrogen-induced vacancies in nickel

The formation and time dynamics of hydrogen-induced defects in nickel by room temperature aging was investigated by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Low temperature conventional positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and positron lifetime measurements using a high-flux positron beam evidenced the formation of a large number of monovacancy-level defects simply by hydrogen addition at room temperature. Low-temperature coincidence Doppler broadening measurements proved that hydrogen was trapped and bound to these vacancies during the hydrogen charge. Room temperature aging, i.e. below the stage III temperature in Ni, and the concomitant hydrogen desorption induced the agglomeration of those monovacancies into large vacancy clusters which remained even after all the hydrogen had desorbed and hydrides had disappeared. These results demonstrated that vacancy-hydrogen complexes were induced in Ni only by hydrogen charging and that hydrogen has a primary role in the formation and stabilization of vacancies even at room temperature.