Effect of a focused pulsed laser radiation on the change in the composition and microhardness of surface layers in the (Cu50Ni50) + C system

The effect of a focused pulsed laser radiation on the change in the composition and microhardness of surface layers of nonequilibrium copper-nickel foils coated with a carbon layer has been investigated as a function of the number of laser pulses. It has been found that the carbon concentration changes and metal oxides of the substrate (copper-nickel foil) are reduced to pure metals on the irradiated side of the samples in all cases of the laser irradiation. It has been revealed that there is a decrease in the microhardness of the irradiated surface of the samples from the initial state in all cases of the irradiation. The mechanisms explaining the changes observed in the samples under laser irradiation have been proposed.