Influence of hydrogen on the material properties of non-metallic materials for sealing applications

Hydrogen entails challengiHydrogen entails challenging conditions for all sealing materials. For metals, the effect of hydrogen embrittlement is well known. However, little attention has been paid to elasto-mers and plastics, which are commonly used as sealing materials. For hydrogen storage and transport, high pressures and extreme temperature situations must be covered. This paper discusses the influence of hydrogen on mechanical properties, volume and weight change as well as compression set. Additionally, the influence of extreme application temperatures on mechanical properties is presented. In general hydrogen has no harmful influence on the compounds presented in this study, which are known as polymers suita-ble for hydrogen use.ng conditions for all sealing materials. For metals, the effect of hydrogen embrittlement is well known. However, little attention has been paid to elastomers and plastics, which are commonly used as sealing materials. For hydrogen storage and transport, high pressures and extreme temperature situations must be covered. This paper will discuss which material properties are relevant to describe the sealing performance and how hydrogen influences these factors