MeV Ni Ions Research Articles

Development of nano-porous Au thin film at room temperature via ion irradiation in a-Ge/Au bilayer system followed by chemical etching of Ge

The development of nano-porous gold (NPG) via room temperature ion irradiation has been presented in detail. The bilayer thin films of a-Ge/c-Au have been irradiated by 100 MeV Ni ions with the fluence of 5 × 1013 ions cm−2 at room temperature. NPG is obtained by selectively etching Ge off from the Au matrix by dipping the Ge/Au thin film into 10 % H2O2 solution. Diffusion of Ge and Au across the interface under irradiation was confirmed by TRIM simulation and RBS spectra. The SEM image and EDX spectra confirms the formation of NPG with high purity. In addition, the statistical and fractal analysis of AFM image also confirms the formation of NPG. NPG system has been observed to show very good optical properties (low reflectance and high transmittance). The high quality NPG prepared by this method can be useful in the fields like optical sensors, transparent conductive electrodes, anti-reflective coatings, and photo-detector technology.

Ion Beam-Induced modification in the optical properties of the bilayer of nano-structured amorphous selenium and multi-walled carbon Nanotubes: A study by 70 MeV Ni Ions

In this study, we report improved physical properties of selenium with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) resulting from a homogeneous mixture of CNT-Se bi-layer thin film by using swift heavy ion irradiation. FESEM micrographs clearly showed the inter-diffusion of Se nanoparticles into MWCNTs following swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation, EDX validates the elemental composition. The existence of different phonon modes (LO mode and D, G, G' bands) has been found in the Raman spectra of the investigated bi-layer thin films. UV–Visible spectroscopic analysis of pristine CNT-Se thin films show two sharp absorption edges at ∼670 nm and ∼340 nm. After swift heavy ion irradiation, the sharp absorption edge at ∼670 nm exhibits a blue shift, whereas the absorption edge at ∼340 nm exhibits a red shift, confirming the homogeneous mixing of two layers. These remarkable shifts found in the optical properties of CNT-Se bi-layer make the investigated material feasible for many optoelectronic device applications.

Effects of He and Ni ion irradiation on the ZrO2/Cr composite coating on Zr1Nb alloy

ZrO2/Cr composite coating has been irradiated by 2.8 MeV He and 38 MeV Ni ions at 350 °C. Similar extents of grain-growth and partial healing of microcracks have been identified in the ZrO2 layer of both irradiated samples. The monoclinic to tetragonal transformation of ZrO2 and the formation of an amorphous (Zr,Cr)O phase at the ZrO2/Cr interface is identified in the Ni-irradiated sample. Large amounts of dislocation loops and small cavities are observed in the Cr layer while significantly less loops are found in the ZrO2 layer in both samples. The irradiation processes also cause significant growth of surface Cr oxides.

Study of vibrational modes of MeV Ni ion implanted MgO crystal

The control over various vacancy and substitutional defects by ion implantation provides many interesting properties for the modulation of materials. In this report, we studied the effect of defects and anionic vacancies produced by MeV Ni ion implanted single crystal MgO on different vibrational active modes. The breathing mode of D bands is observed for most of the Raman peaks, and simultaneously, the overlapping of D and G bands is confirmed from Raman spectra. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectra identified the stretching and bending vibrations of Mg, O, and Ni atoms and compared them with pristine. The presence of atmospheric constituents and their role in affecting the vibrational modes are well justified. The phonon band and density of states calculation in the framework of density functional theory confirms the presence of T1u and T2u Raman active mode that arises due to vibration from different vacancy and substitutional defect associated in MgO structures, agrees well with experimental results. The tunable anionic vacancies produced in MgO by ion implantation can be beneficial to form the filament in valance charge memory-based resistive random-access memory (RRAM).

Structural and optical properties of lithium borate glasses under extreme conditions of ion irradiation

Lithium borate (LBO) glasses of the composition 10LiO2.90B2O3 were prepared by melt quenching technique and characterized for morphological, structural, and optical properties before and after the exposure to the extreme conditions of 100 MeV Ni ion irradiation. Both the morphological images and structural properties confirm the transformation of LBO glasses from amorphous to polycrystalline nature. This Ni irradiation provides thermal energy that causes the ceramization of glass. The beam interacts with the material where the top layer of the glass remelts, and ultrafast re-solidification occurs after the termination of the ion beams. The Rietveld refinement using the x-ray diffraction data shows that the irradiated LBO possesses a monoclinic crystal structure of lithium pentaborate pentahydrate (B5H10LiO13). The FTIR spectra of Ni ion irradiated glasses show the creation of non-bridging oxygens (NBO) by the formation of BO4 units at the expense of BO3 units. The direct band gap and the Urbach energy of the glasses are affected by the nickel ion irradiation and are in the range 2.73 to 2.55 eV and 0.59 to 0.42 eV. The refractive index also reveals a minor change (1.66 to 1.63). The molar electronic polarizability, metallization criteria, and transmission coefficient were estimated. The coexistence of crystalline and amorphous phases leads to a multiscale phase structure that has multilevel relaxation processes. This is a suitable condition for the improvement of the rheological properties of glass and glass ceramics. Future work involves optimization of the coexistence of these two phases during irradiation.

Microstructure and micromechanical responses of bulk nanostructured high entropy alloy after heavy-ion irradiation at 500°C

Nanocrystalline materials possess high defect-sink density, but often experience radiation-enhanced grain coarsening. With the intrinsic sluggish diffusion and radiation tolerance, high entropy alloys (HEA) may have superior radiation tolerance in their nanocrystalline form. In this study, CoCrFeNiMn HEA samples were processed via high-pressure torsion (HPT) under 6 GPa at room temperature for 1 (1T) and 8 (8T) turns to form nanograins with unsaturated and saturated plastic deformation, respectively. After 3.4MeV Ni ion irradiation at 500 °C, grain growth was observed in both HPT-processed samples. The microstructural evolution is dependent on pre-irradiation HPT processing, with the 8T sample showing stronger radiation tolerance against dislocation development and hardness changes, observed through transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation, respectively. This radiation resistance is attributed to a unique nanodomain microstructure formed within the radiation-coarsened grains of the 8T sample. Microstructural and microchemical analysis suggested both HPT process and the alloy chemistry played roles in the nanodomain formation.

Optical and magnetic properties in well and barrier ZnS waveguides formed by MeV Ni and Cu ion implantation

Well and barrier waveguides were fabricated in zinc sulfide (ZnS) single crystals via nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) ion implantation. Elastic collisions between the implanted ions and target nuclei were reconstructed using SRIM software. The prism coupling and end-face coupling methods were applied to capture the dark-mode spectrum and near-field intensity distributions, respectively, at 633 nm. The absorption spectra from the UV to visible band of the ZnS crystals before and after Ni and Cu ion implantation were collected on a spectrophotometer. Magnetic properties at room temperature were evaluated under a magnetic field of 3T.

Role of ion beams and their energies in the properties of zinc tin phosphide thin films

Zinc tin phosphide (ZTP) is a promising low cost light sensing semiconductor material. The present study focuses on the effects of various ion beams having energies in the range of keV to MeV, on the structural, optical, and photo-response properties of ZTP thin films. Low energy ions (100 and 200 keV Al and Cu, 150 keV Fe and 60 keV Au ions) of fluences in the range from 1E13 to 1E16 ions/cm2 and high energy ions (80 MeV Si, 100 MeV Ni and 100 MeV Ag ions) from 1E11 to 6E13 ions/cm2 are used. The energy of ions (low or high) determine the changes in the ion-induced defects, structural disorder and recrystallization effects leading to modification in the structural quality, the evolution of microstructure, variation in the optical band gap (from 1.60 to 1.82 eV), and the photo-responsivity to red light up to 0.66 mA/W. The photo-responsivity of the films enhances for 150 keV Fe, 60 keV Au, 80 MeV Si and 100 MeV Ni ions and reduces for 100 and 200 keV Al and Cu and 100 MeV Ag ions. These changes are strongly correlated with the electronic energy loss of the ions in the films. The study demonstrates the applicability of low and high energy ions to improve the photo-response and also reveals the possibility to estimate the extent of its progress in ZTP and other light-sensing materials relevant for photo-detector and solar cell applications.

Ion induced effects and defects on surface, structural and mechanical properties of Ni ion irradiated titanium

Abstract Effect of 2 MeV Ni+ ion beam irradiation with varying fluences on the surface, structural, and mechanical characteristics of titanium will be explored. For this objective, titanium targets were exposed to nickel ions obtained from a pelletron linear accelerator with 2 MeV energy and various fluences extending from 3 × 1012 to 7 × 1015 ions/cm2. Penetration features and damage evolution of 2 MeV Ni-ion in titanium have been estimated by employing SRIM-2013 software. Various characterization tools were employed to confirm the modifications in the ion beam irradiated targets. The surface and crystallographic variations of ion beam irradiated targets were explored by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Tensile testing and microhardness analysis was performed by utilizing a software-controlled 50 KN universal tensile testing machine and Vickers’s hardness tester, respectively. The SEM analysis represents random and irregularly distributed sputter morphology for lower ion fluences. With the increase of ion fluence, the pores keep growing radially while the growth rate slows down. At the highest ion fluence, localized melting, evaporation and expulsion of surface material were recorded at the irradiated zone. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed no additional phases to be developed in the Ni-ion treated titanium. However, a variation in the peak intensity and slight angle/position shifting was reported, which depicts the creation of ion-induced stresses and defects. The mechanical testing results indicated the variations in the mechanical characteristics (yield stress, ultimate tensile stress, hardness etc.) of irradiated titanium. The hardness, yield stress and ultimate tensile strength increased monotonically with the increase of ion fluence. The reported modifications in the mechanical characteristics of irradiated titanium are in good accordance with structural and surface modifications. The stated changes in the irradiated titanium are ascribed to the development of ions induced stress as well to creation, augmentation/expansion, recombination, and annihilation of the ion-induced defects.

The effect of helium on cavity swelling in dual-ion irradiated Fe and Fe-10Cr ferritic alloys

Ferritic-martensitic (FM) steels for in-vessel components in proposed fusion reactors are expected to suffer from high levels of displacement damage and helium (He) generation by neutron transmutation. However, a thorough understanding of the He synergistic effects on the cavity swelling in FM steels is still not well established. To gain fundamental insights into the He effect on cavity swelling, high purity Fe and Fe-10 wt.% Cr ferritic model alloys were irradiated with 8 MeV Ni ions and co-implanted He ions at 400 to 550 °C up to 30 displacements per atom (dpa) with He implantation rates of 0.1, 10 and 50 appm He/dpa. The current study focuses on the 50 appm He/dpa, 500 °C behavior vs. 0.1 and 10 appm He/dpa. Irradiation-induced defects, including cavities, dislocation loops, and dislocation networks were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the grain interior, a bimodal cavity size distribution was observed in the 10 and 50 appm He/dpa samples, but not for 0.1 appm He/dpa. Cavity swelling was maximized at intermediate He implantation rates of ∼10 appm He/dpa for both ion-irradiated Fe and Fe-10Cr alloys. The cavity swelling behavior as a function of He implantation rate appears to be controlled by the He/dpa-dependent variation of cavity sink strengths. Treating small bubbles as biased sinks for interstitial absorption can significantly increase the ratio of biased to unbiased sink strengths (Q) and results in maximized cavity swelling for a Q ratio close to one.

Role of electronic energy loss on defect production and interface stability: Comparison between ceramic materials and high-entropy alloys

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) and some complex alloys exhibit desirable properties and significant structural stability in harsh environments, including possible applications in advanced reactors. Energetic ion irradiation is often used as a surrogate for neutron irradiation; however, the impact of ion electronic energy deposition and dissipation is often neglected. Moreover, differences in recoil energy spectrum and density of cascade events on damage evolution must also be considered. In many chemically complex alloys, the mean free path of electrons is reduced significantly, thus their decreased thermal conductivity and slow dissipation of localized radiation energy can have noticeable effects on displacement cascade evolution that is greatly different from metals with high thermal conductivity. In this work, nanocrystalline HEAs of Ni20Fe20Co20Cr20Cu20 and nonequiatomic (NiFeCoCr)97Cu3, both having much lower room-temperature thermal conductivity than pure Ni or Fe, are chosen as model HEAs to reveal the role that electronic energy loss during ion irradiation has in complex alloys. The response of nanocrystalline HEAs is investigated under irradiation at room temperature using MeV Ni and Au ions that have different ratios of electronic energy to damage energy, which is the energy dissipated in displacing atoms. Different from previously reported amorphization of nanocrystalline SiC, experimental results on these HEAs show that, similar to the process in nanocrystalline oxide materials, both inelastic thermal spikes via electron–phonon coupling and elastic thermal spikes via collisions among atomic nuclei contribute to the overall grain growth. The growth follows a power law dependence with the total deposited ion energy, and the derived value of the power-exponent suggests that the irradiation-induced instability at and near grain boundaries leads to local rapid atomic rearrangements and consequently grain growth. The high power-exponent value can be attributed to the sluggish diffusion and delayed defect evolution arising from the chemical complexity intrinsic to HEAs. This work calls attention to quantified fundamental understanding of radiation damage processes beyond that of simplified displacement events, especially in simulating neutron environments.

Investigation of structural and morphological properties of high energy ion irradiated KNN films

The transfer of high localized energy density to target matrix via swift heavy ion provides a domain to engineer the properties of materials in a systematic and controlled mode. The present study describes the influence of ion irradiation on structural properties and surface morphology of (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) films of thickness 650–750 nm irradiated with 100 MeV Ni ions at different fluences varying from 1 × 1012 to 1 × 1013 ions cm−2. Multiple ion impact induced reduction in crystalline behavior of KNN perovskite is observed as an effect of ion fluence. The films show partially amorphized nature with ion fluence, and are remained in crystalline perovskite phase after irradiation with decreased peak intensities. Quantitative surface roughness and surface scaling study via power spectral density (PSD) analysis were carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM) micrographs. The root mean square roughness decreased at 1 × 1012 ions cm−2 and thereafter, increased monotonously with increasing ion fluence. The adatoms mobility and coalescence effect might have caused the variation in roughness. From the PSD results, modification of surface morphology of films irradiated at 1 × 1012 ions cm−2 is attributed to the competing mechanisms of viscous flow and evaporation-recondensation processes. At higher fluence, the evolution mechanism of morphology is turned out to be the combined effect of evaporation-recondensation and diffusion processes. The microstructures obtained using scanning electron microscopy are correlated with the AFM results. The dominating processes of irradiation induced modification in the morphology of KNN films are studied in detail, and this study will be useful from both fundamental and applied perspectives.

Effect of 100 MeV Ni ion irradiation on CdZnTe thin films

Modification of semiconductor thin films by Swift Heavy Ion (SHI) beam irradiation is a unique technique for property improvement. In the present investigation, Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) thin films of thickness 100 nm are deposited on glass substrates by the thermal evaporation method. These films are irradiated with 100 MeV Ni ion beams at a fluence of 1×1012 ions/cm2 and 5×1012 ions/cm2. The SHIinduced surface modifications are studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The structural properties are investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Optical characterization is carried out using UV–Vis spectroscopy. The SHI irradiation on CZT films results in grain fragmentation. Phase transformation and widening of bandgap is also observed after SHI irradiation. The SHIinduced property modifications are explained in the framework of ‘coulomb explosion and thermal spike model’.

Diffusion-mediated chemical concentration variation and void evolution in ion-irradiated NiCoFeCr high-entropy alloy

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are proposed as potential structural materials for advanced nuclear systems, but little is known about the response of matrix chemistry in HEAs upon irradiation. Here, we reveal a substantial change of matrix chemical concentration as a function of irradiation damage (depth) in equiatomic NiCoFeCr HEA irradiated by 3 MeV Ni ions. After ion irradiation, the matrix contains more Fe/Cr in depth shallower than ~900–1000 nm but more Ni/Co from ~900–1000 nm to the end of the ion-damaged region due to the preferential diffusion of vacancies through Fe/Cr. Preferential diffusion also facilitates migration of vacancies from high radiation damage region to low radiation damage region, leading to no void formation below ~900–1000 nm and void formation around the end of the ion-damaged region at a fluence of 5 × 1016 cm−2 (~123 dpa, displacements per atom, peak dose under full cascade mode). As voids grow significantly at an increased fluence (8 × 1016 cm−2, 196 dpa), the matrix concentration does not change dramatically due to new voids formed below ~900–1000 nm.

Diffusion-mediated chemical concentration variation and void evolution in ion-irradiated NiCoFeCr high-entropy alloy

Abstract

Atomistic strain and structural analysis of 120 MeV Ni ions irradiated CdSe nanocrystals through molecular dynamics simulation method

Swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation modifies the physical and chemical properties of semiconductor sample like CdSe nanocrystals by inducing vacancies and structural change in the lattice system. Here, the atomistic strain analysis has been performed using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation on the SHI irradiated CdSe nanocrystals by approximating interatomic interaction as (ZBL) potential. MD simulation based on LAMMPS package has been employed for better understanding the time response of the sample with swift heavy ion irradiation. The primary knock-on atom (PKA) method has been used for the simulation that starts the cascade of energy transfer, which triggers the displacement of atoms. Initial parameters of PKA have been obtained from the SRIM simulation of the irradiation effect of 120 MeV Ni ions. Finally, the time evolution of the system has been studied.

From suppressed void growth to significant void swelling in NiCoFeCr complex concentrated solid-solution alloy

Void swelling can result in dimensional instability and undermine the safe operation of nuclear reactors. Current strategies to inhibit void swelling mainly focus on enhancing defect absorption and recombination by introducing high-density defect sinks. Complex concentrated solid-solution alloys (CSAs), including high-entropy alloys, can withstand severe radiation damage due to their inherent chemical complexity without interfaces. However, the underlying mechanisms for void suppression in CSAs are far from clear. In this research, we studied the void evolution with respect to irradiation depths, doses, and temperatures in equiatomic NiCoFeCr under 3 MeV Ni ion irradiations. At relatively low doses (16 and 54 displacements per atom, dpa), voids form mainly outside of the ion-damaged region, and void formation in the peak damage region is suppressed, leading to negligible swelling. However, with further increase of dose (86 up to 250 dpa), significant void growth occurs in the peak damage region and extended dislocation lines dominate instead of short dislocation lines and loops formed at lower doses. From 500 to 700 °C, the dislocation density decreases while dislocations grow. Although the overall void swelling increases dramatically from 500 to 580 °C at 54 dpa, void growth in the peak damage region is still suppressed. The transition from suppressed void growth to significant void swelling is attributed to dislocation evolution and local chemical inhomogeneity (enrichment of Fe/Cr in the matrix) at higher doses. Our study shows that controlling element diffusion and defect evolution through tuning chemical complexity can further enhance the swelling resistance of CSAs.

Improved optical properties of ion beam irradiated (K,Na)NbO3 thin films

In the present study, we have demonstrated the effect of swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation on photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) properties of potassium sodium niobate (KNN) thin films deposited on Si and quartz substrates using RF magnetron sputtering. Ion beam irradiation of crystalline KNN films was carried out at room temperature using 100 MeV Ni ions with different fluences such as 1 × 1012, 5 × 1012 and 1 × 1013 ions/cm2. Various modes obtained in Raman spectra of films are related to NbO6 octahedron which confirms the crystalline phase of KNN. Moreover, the decrease in peak intensities with ion fluence is attributed to defects produced after SHI irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show the increase in oxygen vacancies after irradiation. The optical properties of pristine and irradiated films were evaluated using UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy and a significant improvement in optical transmittance upon irradiation was observed. The optical band gap of films is decreased to 3.14 eV upon irradiation at 1 × 1012 ions/cm2. PL spectra of films were obtained with excitation wavelength of 274 nm and, the results depict the emission wavelengths (band-to-band or near band edge) of KNN thin films in regime of 313–367 nm (3.96–3.38 eV). The origin of blue and green emission is due to defects created as a result of ion irradiation. The green luminescence evolved at higher fluence (i.e. 1 × 1013 ions/cm2) may be attributed to intrinsic defects such as oxygen vacancies. The obtained Commission Internationale de I’Elcairage (CIE) color coordinates are shifted towards white point in chromaticity diagram as a function of ion fluence. TRPL result reveals the decay lifetime of KNN films in nanosecond regime and, is varied with ion fluence. At fluence of 1 × 1013 ions/cm2, film exhibited the minimum average decay lifetime (1.75 ns) which suggests that KNN can be a potential candidate for optical switching, optical display and sensors, and opto-electronic device applications.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the response of pre-damaged SrTiO3 and KTaO3 to fast heavy ions

We investigate the energy dissipation and track formation due to ion irradiation in SrTiO3 and KTaO3. We use molecular dynamics simulations combined with the inelastic thermal spike model to simulate 21 MeV Ni ion irradiation in pristine and predamaged samples. The results are validated against experimental findings, showing that the level of initial disorder affects the electron-phonon interactions and the energy dissipation and deposition to the atoms. It is predicted that the ion track size increases linearly for low disorder levels, while its size saturates for high levels of disorder.

The effects of loop size on the unfaulting of Frank loops in heavy ion irradiation

When stainless steels are exposed to high irradiation dose, a fraction of Frank loops will unfault and transform into perfect loops. After unfaulting, perfect loops can glide and impinge into other loops to form dislocation networks, and dislocation networks will act as sinks for point defects and solute elements. Besides, unfaulting will influence the extent of irradiation hardening as well. Based on previous theories, the size of Frank loops was considered to be a key factor in unfaulting. To better understand the unfaulting process, 316L stainless steel model alloy was irradiated to 5dpa at 350 °C, 400 °C and 450 °C by 3 MeV Ni ions. Method was developed to quantitatively compare the size and density between Frank loops and perfect loops through relrod and weak-beam dark field techniques. Results showed that unfaulting barely occurred at 350 °C but was distinct at 400 °C and 450 °C. The majority of perfect loops were in the size range of 8–16 nm at 400 °C and were in the size range of 12–20 nm at 450 °C. The existence of a critical loop size for unfaulting was not supported by our results. Moreover, by our results, the energy of Frank loops does not play a decisive role in unfaulting, and the simple approximation of geometric constraint in the rate theory to calculate unfaulting diameter needs to be revisited. Irradiation hardening was also analyzed by nano-indention. It was found that loop unfaulting played an important role in the hardening decrease from 350 °C to 450 °C.