High energy ions and energetic plasma irradiation effects on aluminum in a Filippov-type plasma focus

High energy ions and energetic plasma irradiation of aluminum cathode inserts have been accomplished in nitrogen and argon filled plasma focus device. The Filippov-type plasma focus facility, Dena, with 288 μF capacitor bank and charging voltage of 25 kV (90 kJ maximum storage energy) was first optimized for strong ion beam generation for nitrogen and argon gases by maximizing hard X-ray emission efficiency. X-ray diffraction analysis as well as scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy carried out to study the structural, morphological and compositional profile of the treated samples. Change in preferred orientation, emergence of meta-stable phases, generation of copper micro-droplets, and production of cracks across the sample are demonstrated and discussed. The micro-hardness measurements in Vickers scale reveal that after ion irradiation, the surface hardness of samples is reduced.