Electron irradiation damage in transition metal oxides

It is well known that bombardment of oxides with low energy electrons or ions often leads to marked changes at the surface which can be attributed to effects that are initiated by both ballistic and electronic processes. This study focuses on the electron irradiation behavior of NiO, TiO;Maximum valence transition metal oxides such as TiO;The observed final phases did not fit criteria based on surface binding energy arguments, which have previously been used successfully for ion irradiation studies. Damage processes in the electron microscope did follow a simple symmetry selection rule, exhibited characteristics of radiation-enhanced diffusional processes, and were sensitive to the surface environment. It is concluded that the contribution of electronic damage mechanisms are significant even at the energies used for electron microscopy. The synergistic operation of defect migration processes contributes to an accelerated damage rate over and above that which would be predicted by any singular mechanism.