The role of electronic energy loss in ion beam modification of materials

[Display omitted] •Computational methods that model inelastic thermal spike are described.•Advanced methods developed to model energy exchange between electrons and atoms.•Ionization-induced defect annealing and epitaxial crystallization observed at room temperature.•Synergistic effects of electronic and nuclear energy loss are observed for single and dual beam irradiations. The interaction of energetic ions with solids results in energy loss to both atomic nuclei and electrons in the solid. In this article, recent advances in understanding and modeling the additive and competitive effects of nuclear and electronic energy loss on the response of materials to ion irradiation are reviewed. Experimental methods and large-scale atomistic simulations are used to study the separate and combined effects of nuclear and electronic energy loss on ion beam modification of materials. The results demonstrate that nuclear and electronic energy loss can lead to additive effects on irradiation damage production in some materials; while in other materials, the competitive effects of electronic energy loss leads to recovery of damage induced by elastic collision cascades. These results have significant implications for ion beam modification of materials, non-thermal recovery of ion implantation damage, and the response of materials to extreme radiation environments.