Transport of hydrogen in elastic metals has been analysed in terms of an impedance-like non-linear transfer function (TF). The equilibrium in a membrane specimen is perturbed by a sinusoidal signal of the concentration of hydrogen, of large amplitude, applied to one of its surfaces. The fundamental harmonics of periodically reproducible flux at the same surface is considered as a response. The TF is defined as the ratio of the signal to the response. The power of the said TF in determining the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in a metal-hydrogen system and its bulk elastic modulus was analysed for the example of alpha-phase Pd-H and Pd81Pt19-H systems. It has been found that such a TF is suitable for determination of the above parameters. Also, the sensitivity of these estimates to the uncertainty of concentration of hydrogen in the metal, its partial molar volume and the thickness of the specimen has been explored. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.