Effect of high doses of N⁺, N⁺ + Ni⁺, and Mo⁺ + W⁺ ions on the physicomechanical properties of TiNi

The surface layer of an equiatomic TiNi alloy, which exhibits the shape memory effect in the martensitic state, is modified with high-dose implantation of 65-keV N⁺ ions (the implantation dose is varied from 10 ¹⁷ to 10¹⁸ ions/cm²). TiNi samples are implanted by N⁺, Ni⁺-N⁺, and Mo ⁺-W⁺ ions at a dose of 10¹⁷-10¹⁸ cm^-2 and studied by Rutherford backscattering, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (glancing geometry), and by measuring the nanohardness and the elastic modulus. A Ni ⁺ concentration peak is detected between two maxima in the depth profile of the N⁺ ion concentration. X-ray diffraction (glancing geometry) of TiNi samples implanted by Ni⁺ and N⁺ ions shows the formation of the TiNi (B2), TiN, and Ni₃N phases. In the initial state, the elastic modulus of the samples is E = 56 GPa at a hardness of H = 2.13 ± 0.30 GPa (at a depth of 150 nm). After double implantation by Ni⁺-N⁺ and W⁺-Mo⁺ ions, the hardness of the TiNi samples is 2.78 ± 0.95 GPa at a depth of 150 nm and 4.95 ± 2.25 GPa at a depth of 50 nm; the elastic modulus is 59 GPa. Annealing of the samples at 550°C leads to an increase in the hardness to 4.44 ± 1.45 GPa and a sharp increase in the elastic modulus to 236 ± 39 GPa. A correlation between the elemental composition, microstructure, shape memory effect, and mechanical properties of the near-surface layer in TiNi is found.