Ion-Induced Electron Emission and Surface Erosion of Nanostructured Nickel under High-Fluence Irradiation with 30-keV Argon Ions

We present the results of studying the erosion and ion-induced electron emission of nickel samples with nano-, micro-, and coarse-crystalline structures under high-fluence irradiation with 30-keV argon ions. The nanostructure is formed using high-pressure torsion deformation. The irradiation of nanostructured nickel led to the formation of cones on its surface at a high density, 1 cone/μm 2 . A decrease in the size of crystal grains to 100 nm and the presence or absence of cones do not affect the coefficient of ion-induced electron emission. The coefficient of the ion-induced electron emission of nickel decreases with an increase in temperature from room temperature to 100–150°C, reaching a plateau up to 400°C. The temperature dependence of the ion-induced electron emission coefficient for nickel can be due to the phonon scattering of secondary electrons.