Nitrogen Ions Implantation in W-Based Quad Alloy: Structure, Electrical Resistivity, Surface Roughness and Vickers Hardness as a Function of Ion Dose

Five W-alloy specimens, containing 8.57% Ni, 6.34% Cu, and 1.34% Mo, were bombarded with 5.2 MeV singly charged nitrogen ions. The ions dose range was 5 × 10 14 –1 × 10 16 ions/cm 2 . XRD patterns portrayed diffraction peaks of pure W as well as of Cu 0.4 W 0.6 , MoNi 4 , and Ni 4 W phases. Harris analysis showed that the preferentially oriented planes depend on the nitrogen ions dose. The structural parameters, namely lattice strain and crystallite size, vary with nitrogen ions dose alike. Same pattern is followed by surface hardness and electrical resistivity. The increase in the values of all the parameters with ions dose is rapid in the range 0–1 × 10 15 ions/cm 2 and later on slow till the maximum ions dose 1 × 10 16 ions/cm 2 . However, the interdependence of each parameter on the other ones was linear. Surface roughness of the specimens was found to decrease on increasing ions dose. On the other hand, surface hardness registers a rise as crystallite size increases, and hence follows Inverse Hall–Petch relation. Graphic Abstract