Hydrogen absorption by a Pd film detected by microgravimetry*

A thin film of palladium (200 {\AA}) was e-beam evaporated onto a quartz crystal used in a SQM-160 Microbalance from Sigma Instruments. The crystal was then successively exposed to different hydrogen pressures, in situ, and the change in the resonant frequency was recorded as a function of time. Hydrogen absorption by the Pd film can be obtained by the shift of the resonant frequency upon hydrogenation at different pressures. A 14 Hz shift is obtained when the Pd film is saturated with hydrogen at 10 Torr of pressure. The different faces of the Pd-H system are observed with this technique.