Pressure cells for <i>in situ</i> neutron total scattering: time and real-space resolution during deuterium absorption
Kazutaka Ikeda, H. Ohshita, Toshiya Otomo, Kouji Sakaki, Hyunjeong Kim, Yumiko Nakamura, Akihiko Machida, R. B. Von Dreele
Abstract
In situ gas-loading sample holders for two-dimensionally arranged detectors in time-of-flight neutron total scattering experiments have been developed to investigate atomic arrangements during deuterium absorption using time and real-space resolution. A single-crystal sapphire container was developed that allows conditions of 473 K and 10 MPa hydrogen gas pressure. High-resolution transient measurements detected deuterium absorption by palladium that proceeded within a few seconds. A double-layered container with thick- and thin-walled vanadium allowed conditions of 423 K and 10 MPa hydrogen gas pressure. The deuterium occupation sites of a lanthanum–nickel–aluminium alloy are discussed in detail on the basis of real-space high-resolution data obtained from in situ neutron scattering measurements and reverse Monte Carlo structural modeling.