Revealing the nature of fractures caused by hydrogen in high-strength steel

Scientists have observed that hydrogen embrittlement in HS steel often leads to intergranular (IG) fractures, which occur along the grain boundaries of the crystalline lattice. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanisms behind this particular type of fracture are difficult to study in isolation in HS steel because other types of fracture tend to occur alongside it.

Scientists Capture a ‘Quantum Tug’ Between Neighboring Water Molecules

Scientists suggest that water’s so-called “proton quantum effect” may be at the heart of many of the liquid’s strange properties. In this experiment with ultrafast electron diffraction, scientists observed how the hydrogen atoms in water molecules tug and push neighboring molecules when water is excited with laser light. This marks the first time that scientists have directly observed this effect in water.