The Fate of Water in Hydrogen‐Based Iron Oxide Reduction

• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300626
• Publication Date: 2023-06-08T20:11:40Z
• Authors: Ayman A. El‐Zoka; Leigh T. Stephenson; Se‐Ho Kim; Baptiste Gault; Dierk Raabe
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Condensed Matter - Materials Science; 0303 health sciences; Science; Q; Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci); FOS: Physical sciences; hydrogen metal oxide reduction; 7. Clean energy; 620; 03 medical and health sciences; atom probe tomography; 13. Climate action; gas–solid reactions; green steel; Research Articles

Abstract Gas–solid reactions are important for many redox processes that underpin the energy and sustainability transition. The specific case of hydrogen‐based iron oxide reduction is foundation to render global steel industry fossil‐free, an essential target as production largest single industrial emitter carbon dioxide. This perception gas–solid has not only been limited by availability state‐of‐the‐art techniques which can delve into structure chemistry reacted solids, but one continues miss reaction partner defines thermodynamics kinetics gas phase reactions: molecules. In this investigation, cryogenic‐atom probe tomography used study quasi in situ evolution solid phases direct deuterium at 700°C. So far several unknown atomic‐scale characteristics observed, including, D 2 accumulation interface; formation a core (wüstite)‐shell (iron) structure; inbound diffusion through layer partitioning among defects; outbound oxygen wüstite and/or next free available inner/outer surface; internal heavy nano‐water droplets nano‐pores.