In an effort to achieve a CO2 emission free economy, hydrogen is emerging as a promising energy carrier. With increasing hydrogen usage, the related transport and storage infrastructure requires material and cost efficient high-strength steels that can withstand the deleterious effect of hydrogen on steels, known as hydrogen embrittlement. Ideally, such steels are produced via the electric arc furnace route from recycled scrap, thus also saving CO2 in the production process. Increased recycling rates, however, are accompanied by elevated contents of tramp elements like copper, that can cause challenges during material production. Nano-scale precipitates of transition metal carbides have long been in use as so-called hydrogen traps, hindering hydrogen accumulation at susceptible elements of the material microstructure. In this paper, first-principles methods and thermodynamic calculations are employed to investigate the potential of nano-sized copper precipitates and their crystal structure to act as hydrogen traps. Findings of this work provide a guideline on how a challenge of increased tramp element content, like copper, in sustainable steel production can be addressed and connected to hydrogen embrittlement.
Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225671
