Resonant neutron reflectometry for hydrogen detection.
Nat Commun 2022;
13:1486. [PMID:
35304444 PMCID:
PMC8933405 DOI:
10.1038/s41467-022-29092-z]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The detection and quantification of hydrogen is becoming increasingly important in research on electronic materials and devices, following the identification of the hydrogen content as a potent control parameter for the electronic properties. However, establishing quantitative correlations between the hydrogen content and the physical properties of solids remains a formidable challenge. Here we report neutron reflectometry experiments on 50 nm thick niobium films during hydrogen loading, and show that the momentum-space position of a prominent waveguide resonance allows tracking of the absolute hydrogen content with an accuracy of about one atomic percent on a timescale of less than a minute. Resonance-enhanced neutron reflectometry thus allows fast, direct, and non-destructive measurements of the hydrogen concentration in thin-film structures, with sensitivity high enough for real-time in-situ studies.
The detection and quantification of hydrogen is becoming increasingly important in research on electronic materials and devices. Here the authors show that waveguide resonances enhance the sensitivity of neutron reflectometry, enabling fast, direct, and nondestructive measurements of hydrogen incorporation in thin-film structures.
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