Ab initio molecular dynamics investigation on hydrogen diffusion behavior in liquid aluminum alloy melts

Abstract

In this work, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations under both NVT and NPT ensembles were performed to study the influence of alloying elements of Mg, Fe, Si, Ti, Cu, Zn, F, and Cl on the H diffusion behavior in liquid aluminum melt. It is found that the diffusion coefficient of H simulated by AIMD under the NVT model is highly consistent with the reported experimental results. Specifically, the addition of Cu, Cl, Si, and Zn is inclined to increase the diffusion coefficient of H in the melt, whereas the opposite result is observed with the addition of F, Fe, and Ti. Moreover, it is proved that the H diffusion coefficients are positively correlated with the H-Al bond lengths and the coordination number of H in a constant volume system. The obtained results deepen the understanding of the diffusion of H atoms in Al melts and contribute to the optimization of existing melt purification technologies.