X-ray-induced hydride formation in palladium nanowires in a gaseous hydrogen environment

Journal article, 2026

Palladium hydrides are promising systems for hydrogen sensors and hydrogen storage, making the study of hydride formation in nanoparticles highly relevant. Lately, such studies have often been performed in situ or operando using synchrotron radiation of increasingly high intensity and brilliance. While beam-induced effects are well documented in liquid environments, they are rarely considered in the gaseous phase. Here, X-ray diffraction is used to investigate hydride formation in palladium nanowires, comparing hydrogen-induced transitions with transitions triggered by varying X-ray exposure rates. Although hydrogen exposure naturally drives hydride formation, we observe a clear additional contribution from beam-induced effects. These findings highlight the need to account for such effects when studying gas–solid reactions with X-rays.