Rubber sealing components are crucial and highly vulnerable parts in high-pressure hydrogen systems, which represent the weakest link where seal failure becomes the crucial factor limiting the increase in working pressure of hydrogen energy equipment. Prolonged exposure to hydrogen environments causes rubber materials to experience volumetric expansion, resulting in decreased sealing reliability and durability, posing significant safety risks. This review focuses on rubber sealing materials used in hydrogen energy equipment. Firstly, the current mainstream mechanisms of hydrogen-induced swelling are introduced, covering the hydrogen exposure and decompression stages. Subsequently, the impact of hydrogen-induced swelling on the micromorphology damage, mechanical performance deterioration and sealing performance reduction of rubber is elucidated. Furthermore, the primary influencing factors of rubber hydrogen-induced swelling are explored and summarized. Based on the analysis of the current state of researches, several recommendations are proposed for the study of hydrogen-induced swelling of rubber sealing materials, including broadening the influencing factors and constructing the correlations between hydrogen-induced swelling and other damages such as frictional wear to contributing the safe application of rubber seal in high-pressure hydrogen systems.

中文翻译：

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橡胶复合材料氢致膨胀的综合综述

橡胶密封件是高压氢气系统中至关重要且易损件，是最薄弱的环节，密封失效成为限制氢能设备工作压力升高的关键因素。长时间暴露在氢气环境中会导致橡胶材料发生体积膨胀，导致密封可靠性和耐用性下降，带来重大安全风险。本综述重点关注氢能设备中使用的橡胶密封材料。首先介绍了目前氢致膨胀的主流机理，涵盖氢暴露阶段和减压阶段。随后，阐明了氢致膨胀对橡胶微观形貌破坏、机械性能劣化和密封性能降低的影响。进一步探讨和总结了橡胶氢致膨胀的主要影响因素。基于对研究现状的分析，对橡胶密封材料氢致膨胀的研究提出了几点建议，包括拓宽影响因素以及构建氢致膨胀与摩擦磨损等其他损伤之间的相关性。为橡胶密封件在高压氢气系统中的安全应用做出贡献。