Effects of different ions irradiation on the electrochemical corrosion and hardness of pure iron

Pure iron (Fe) was subjected to singly charged 1 MeV Gold (Au+1), Nickel (Ni+1), Cobalt (Co+1), Copper (Cu+1), and Yttrium (Y+1) ions irradiation at a constant dose of 5 x 1014 ions/cm2. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed polycrystalline nature of Fe with ions-induced changes in its crystallinity. Improvement in the crsytallinity of Fe due Au+1 irradiation was more significant as compared to the others. Similarly, the crystallinity of Fe was greatly decreased due to the impact of Y+1 ions. The Fe surface morphology indicated the surface defects in the form of pits, cavities and protruded structures after ions irradiation. Potentiodynamic Polarization (PDP) revealed an increase in the corrosion resistance of Fe after irradiation. The Au+1 ions irradiated specimen was found more effective in terms of high corrosion resistance than other specimens. The surface hardness of Fe exhibited Classical Hall-Petch relation, which demonstrated that the larger the crystallite size (26-83 nm), the smaller would be the surface hardness (190-182 HV) and vice versa.