Formation of Oxide Layers on the Surface of Copper and its Alloys Modified by a High-Power Ion Beam

The change in the phase and elemental composition of the surface layers of copper and its alloys, brasses LS59-1, L63, and bronze BrAZh9-4, preliminarily irradiated with a high-power ion beam, after oxidation in air at 400°C is studied. It is shown that depletion of the brass surface by zinc under irradiation with a high-power ion beam does not lead to a noticeable increase in the oxidation of brass during thermal annealing in air due to the diffusion of Zn from the volume to the surface. The annealing of high-power ion-beam-irradiated copper under similar conditions does not change the composition of oxidation products, and the phase ratio is determined by the duration of annealing. For BrAZh9-4 bronze irradiated by a high-power ion beam, enrichment of the surface with copper leads to the intensification of oxidative processes. Possible mechanisms for the observed changes in copper and its alloys are considered.