A sectioning technique for copper, silver, and gold and its application to penetration and diffusion studies

Abstract

A sectioning technique for copper, silver, and gold has been developed. This technique, which is based on the formation of a corrosion film, is capable of removing from a metal surface layers ranging from less than 1 μg/cm² of metal to more than 100μg/cm². Being insensitive to radiation damage of the metal surface, this corrosion film technique can be applied in studies of recoils from nuclear reactions as well as in studies of penetration and diffusion in solids. An electromagnetic isotope separator has been used to implant radioactive impurity atoms in copper, silver, and gold, and examples are shown where the corrosion film technique has been applied for the study of range distributions and diffusion processes.