Fundamental Aspects of Thermodesorption Spectra in Bulk Metal-Hydride Systems

Abstract

A basic model is introduced to describe the thermodesorption process in bulk metal-hydride systems. The model is then applied to progressively more complex and realistic situations in order to illustrate the physical processes which are important. Specifically, we compare and contrast the situation to be found in non-interacting multisite hydrides with those exhibiting a phase structure. Furthermore, it is shown that by representing the thermodesorption spectra in normalized variables one obtains a straightforward appraisal of the nature of the surface recombination, as well as the stoichiometries and energies associated with the various states in the bulk.