Sims analysis of the distribution of hydrogen absorbed by gold electrodes during the evolution of hydrogen

Gold electrodes were charged with hydrogen by strong cathodic treatment in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. The concentration of hydrogen was then studied by SIMS both along the surface and in depth by etching in the ion beam. With electrodes consisting of a small number of crystals, the absence of abnormal hydrogen concentration at the grain boundaries seems to rule out diffusion along this route. The profiles observed seem to be consistent with a simple model of uniform bulk diffusion.