Hydrogen clustering in bcc metals: atomic origin and strong stress anisotropy

Hydrogen (H) induced damage in metals has been a long-standing woe for many industrial applications. One form of such damage is linked to H clustering, for which the atomic origin remains contended, particularly for non-hydride forming metals. In this work, we systematically studied H clustering behavior in bcc metals represented by W, Fe, Mo, and Cr, combining first-principles calculations, atomistic and Monte Carlo simulations. H clustering has been shown to be energetically favorable, and can be strongly facilitated by anisotropic stress field, dominated by the tensile component along one of the <001> crystalline directions. We showed that the stress effect can be well predicted by the continuum model based on H formation volume tensor, and that H clustering is thermodynamically possible at edge dislocations, evidenced by nanohydride formation at rather low levels of H concentration. Moreover, anisotropy in the stress effect is well reflected in nanohydride morphology around dislocations, with nanohydride growth occurring in the form of thin platelet structures that maximize one <001> tension. In particular, the <001> type edge dislocation, with the <001> tensile component maximized, has been shown to be highly effective in facilitating H aggregation, thus expected to play an important role in H clustering in bcc metals, in close agreement with recent experimental observations. This work explicitly and quantitatively clarifies the anisotropic nature of stress effect on H energetics and H clustering behaviors, offering mechanistic insights critical towards understanding H-induced damages in metals.

On the Role of Dust Particles in Decoupling of Plasma from Magnetic Field in Laboratory and Space

The objective of this paper is to apply the recent achievements in understanding of the non-MHD effects in plasma (acquired both in laboratory experiments, as well as in theory), to the interstellar phenomena. Applied to the space plasma, these effects can significantly change the picture of plasma dynamics. Charged dust particles are always present in the interstellar medium and can easily remain not magnetized, even when the plasma electrons and ions are strongly magnetized. In such a medium, the magnetic field can propagate with the super-Alfven velocity. This breaks the local frozen-in law for the magnetic field, which can significantly affect the gravitational collapse phenomena, the space plasma turbulence spectrum, magnetic dynamo and the rate of the Fermi acceleration of cosmic rays.