Overview of surface alloying by ion, electron, and laser beams

Surface composition and microstructure play critical roles in determining the usefulness of many technological materials. For example, the mechanical interactions of an alloy with its environment such as friction and wear, chemical effects such as oxidation and corrosion, and even its outward appearance are all controlled by the properties of a very thin layer of material at the surface. For this reason, the properties required at the surface of an alloy for a given application are often different from, and frequently even incompatible with, property requirements for the bulk material. This constraint has spawned a great variety of traditional surface alloying and coating techniques, ranging from the simple application of paints, to considerably more sophisticated electroplating, nitriding, and surface diffusion treatments. In favorable circumstances, surface alloying can be used to independently optimize the surface and bulk properties of a material for a given application. Unfortunately, equilibrium solubility limits and low solid-state diffusivities impose severe restrictions on conventional surface alloying methods, and problems of adhesion frequently plague coating techniques