Investigation of microstructure changes in ODS-EUROFER after hydrogen loading

The effect of hydrogen on the microstructure of mechanically tested ODS-EUROFER steel was investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy, thermal desorption spectroscopy, and atomistic simulations. The presence of yttrium oxide particles notably increases hydrogen uptake in ODS-EUROFER steel as compared to ODS-free EUROFER 97. Under tensile loading, hydrogen accumulation promotes the loss of cohesion at the oxide particle interfaces. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations indicate that hydrogen can be trapped at nanoparticle/matrix interface, creating OH-groups. The accumulation of hydrogen atoms at the oxide particle surface can be the reason for the observed hydrogen-induced oxide/matrix interface weakening and de-cohesion under the action of external tensile stress.