Nanostructural evolution of steel and titanium alloys exposed to glow-discharge plasma

摘要

We have investigated the formation process of nanostructures with different dimensions and the modification of materials after their treatment by low-energy ion irradiation in glow-discharge plasma.rnThe materials under investigation were armco-iron, high-speed steel and titanium alloys. Low-energy ion impact was carried out in a specially constructed plasma generator, where materials were irradiated by ions of residual gases in vacuum. The ion energy was 1-3 keV. After the low-energy ion treatment, microhardness of the irradiated materials, their fine dislocation structures and electrical resistivity were investigated. Simultaneously, a computer simulation of material behavior after a glow-discharge plasma impact was made.rnWe showed that nanostructures may be formed by self-organizing processes development in nonlinear media after low-energy irradiation. This result is confirmed by computer simulation of the influence of low-energy ions on nonlinear crystal structures.