Single crystalline faceted Pd nanoparticles attached to a sapphire substrate were fabricated employing the solid state dewetting method. The as-dewetted nanoparticles tested in compression exhibited all features of dislocation nucleation-controlled plasticity, including the size effect on strength and ultrahigh compressive strength reaching up to 11 GPa. Hydrogen cycling of as-dewetted Pd nanoparticles resulted in their drastic softening and in change of the deformation mode. This softening effect was correlated with the high density of glissile dislocations observed in the cycled particles. This work demonstrates that the nanomechanical behavior of hydride-forming metals can be manipulated by hydrogen cycling.
@article{arxiv.2504.04776,
title = {Drastic softening of Pd nanoparticles induced by hydrogen cycling},
author = {Jonathan Zimmerman and Maria Vrellou and Stefan Wagner and Astrid Pundt and Christoph Kirchlechner and Eugen Rabkin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.04776},
year = {2025}
}