Effects of an inhomogeneous electron density distribution on the hydrogen distribution in TiZrTaNbAl multi-principal element alloys

A body-centered cubic equiatomic TiZrTaNbAl multi-principal element alloy (MPEA) with elemental fluctuations was investigated to further understand the relationship between the microstructure and hydrogen distribution. In this study, a composition dependence of the hydrogen distribution was observed in the TiZrTaNbAl MPEA. An inhomogeneous electron density distribution of the MPEA was revealed by advanced differential phase -contrast scanning electron microscopy (DPC-STEM) for the first time. The results showed that the electron density has a significant effect on the hydrogen distribution in TiZr-TaNbAl MPEAs. This work provides new insight into the design of materials with high hydrogen storage capacity and high hydrogen embrittlement resistance.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.