Composition, Structure, and Corrosion Electrochemical Properties of Copper–Manganese Alloy Subjected to Argon Ion Implantation

—The chemical composition and structure of thin surface layers of the Cu 80 Mn 20 alloy before and after argon-ion irradiation in a pulse-periodic mode have been studied using X-ray electron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. It has been shown that the ion-beam action leads to the substantial redistribution of alloy components at depths exceeding the average path of projective range of argon ions. At the relative manganese concentration exceeding the content corresponding to the boundary of solid solution (Cu, γMn) homogeneity, the fcc structure, whose lattice parameters differ in depth, remains in the surface area of the irradiated Cu 80 Mn 20 alloy. According to X-ray electron spectroscopy data, oxide forms of manganese are accumulated at the alloy surface; this leads to the improvement of passivation characteristics of the alloy. This may be related to the increase in the electrochemical activity of the alloy in the reaction of electoreduction of oxygen.