Effect of dynamic diffusion of air, nitrogen, and helium gaseous media on the microhardness of ionic crystals with juvenile surfaces

The load dependences of the microhardness of surface layers of NaCl and LiF ionic single crystals with juvenile surfaces and surfaces exposed to air for a long time measured in the air, nitrogen, and helium gaseous media have been investigated. It has been found that there is a change in the sign of the derivative of the microhardness as a function of the load for LiF crystals indented in helium and after their aging in air, as well as a weaker effect of the nitrogen and air gaseous media on the studied dependences as compared to NaCl crystals. It has also been found that, after the aging of the surface of NaCl crystals in air, there is a change in the sign of the derivative of the microhardness in the nitrogen and air gaseous media, as well as a pronounced change in the microhardness as a function of the time of aging the samples in air as compared to the weaker effect of the gaseous medium for LiF crystals. The obtained data have been analyzed in terms of the phenomenon of dislocation-dynamic diffusion of particles from the external medium into crystalline materials during their plastic deformation along the nucleating and moving dislocations. It has been shown that this phenomenon affects the microhardness through changes in the intensity of dislocation multiplication upon the formation of indentation rosettes in different gaseous media. The performed investigation of the microhardness of the juvenile surface of NaCl and LiF crystals in different gaseous media has revealed for the first time a different character of dislocation-dynamic diffusion of these media in a “pure” form.