Hydrogen uptake on film surfaces produced by a unique codeposition process

Abstract Hydrogen uptake on several different film surfaces has been achieved by deposition of a conventional hydrogen gettering system via a novel combination of physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. We decided to use a conventional hydrogen gettering system, developed by Smith and Schicker [J.R. Schicker, AS/KCD Project No. EPN-047620, May 1994], that uses an acetylenic organic compound mixed with carbon supported palladium metal. The organic material, 1,4-bis-(phenylethynyl) benzene (DEB), is mixed with palladium and carbon by employing conventional solid state ceramic preparative techniques. Our novel codeposition process combines PVD and CVD techniques for fabricating thin-film coatings of the palladium-catalyzed DEB hydrogen gettering system. Hydrogen uptake was confirmed by 1 H NMR and our novel process lends itself well to placing hydrogen getter onto complex shapes and substrates of various compositions.