Reversible metal–hydride phase transformation in epitaxial films

Abstract

Metal–hydride phase transformations in solids commonly proceed with hysteresis. The extrinsic component of hysteresis is the result of the dissipation of energy of internal stress due to plastic deformation and fracture. It can be mitigated on the nanoscale, where plastic deformation and fracture are suppressed and the transformation proceeds through formation and evolution of coherent phases. However, the phase coherency introduces intrinsic thermodynamic hysteresis, preventing reversible transformation. In this paper, it is shown that thermodynamic hysteresis of coherent metal–hydride transformation can be eliminated in epitaxial film due to substrate constraint. Film–substrate interaction leads to formation of heterophase polydomain nanostructure with variable phase fraction which can change reversibly by varying temperature in a closed system or chemical potential in an open system.