Molecular dynamics simulation of hydrogen dissolution and diffusion in a tungsten grain boundary

We employ a classic molecular dynamics method to investigate the dissolution and diffusion properties of hydrogen (H) in a Σ5(3 1 0) tilt grain boundary (GB). A maximum binding energy of 2.5 eV and a diffusion barrier of 1.65 eV indicate that GB plays an important role in H trapping. Dynamic simulations with temperature ranging from 600 K to 1200 K verify the diffusion and the aggregation of H in the GB are closely associated with the temperature. Pair radius distribution function analysis suggests a high local GB concentration of H such as 30% at 900 K can lead to a disordered GB structure.