Diffusion of oxygen and nitrogen into titanium under laser irradiation in air

Abstract

This paper examines the dynamic interactions between pure titanium and ambient air under transient laser processing conditions. The microstructures and composition distributions of the reaction products on and within the titanium samples are reported, which lead to the estimation of high-temperature diffusion coefficients for nitrogen and oxygen into the titanium substrate. In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction testing is conducted to reveal the high temperature reaction steps between titanium and air. The formation mechanisms of both titanium nitrides and titanium oxides are discussed.