Strain-induced and blocking effects in thermodynamics of the ordering and precipitation reactions within the off-stoichiometric close-packed-metal hydrides

A microscopic model for the strain-controlled atomic ordering of hydrogen isotopes inside h.c.p. rare-earth metals and for the strain-induced decomposition reactions in some h.c.p. and f.c.c. transition metals is proposed taking into account the ‘blocking’ effects in interatomic interactions between hydrogen-isotopes' atoms. The theory explains the distribution of the diffuse-scattering intensity in reciprocal space for such solid solutions.