Work

The chemistry of embrittlement: How hydrogen dwindles cohesion in iron during fracture

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Normally strong and tough, steel$\unicode{x2014}$with iron as its base$\unicode{x2014}$falls prey to severe embrittlement when infiltrated by hydrogen; the insights into why are not well understood. This work explores how hydrogen affects bond strength in iron during fracture and why it reduces cohesion between fracture surfaces, laying bare the central role of electrostatic repulsion.

Source: arXiv (Cornell University)

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2609.17508

Author: Egorov, Aleksei

Institutions: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Center for Advanced Systems Understanding

Language: English

Topic: Hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion behaviors in metals

Subfield: Metals and Alloys

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Ruhr-Universität Bochum

OpenAlex ID: W7213408862

Cites: 1

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Related to: 10