Ion implantations in boron: Remarkable stability of covalent structures base on icosahedra

Ion irradiations of β boron, displacing each atom of the crystal about 30 times in average, result in no detectable permanent damage, even when performed at 80 K. This behaviour is attributed to the peculiar structure of boron‐rich solids based on icosahedra. Boron is the first covalent solid which is not amorphized by ion iradiations.