An efficient strategy for evaluating the hydrogen embrittlement via micro-pillar compression in compositional gradient high-strength steel

Evaluating the effect of microalloying elements on hydrogen embrittlement (HE) in high-strength steels is essential for material design. In this work, we propose a novel strategy to assess the HE behavior of compositional gradient high-strength steels using micro-pillar compression tests. Experimental results reveal that hydrogen significantly influences the mechanical properties of the micropillars with different solid solution alloying elements. Specifically, V exhibits optimal HE resistance at approximately 0.2 wt%, while Cr and Mo reflect an increase in HE resistance with increasing concentrations within in the 0–0.6 wt% range. These findings provide a new perspective for the composition optimization of HE-resistant high-strength steels, suggesting that the microscale HE evaluation method could guide the design of high-strength HE-resistant materials.