Peculiarities of radiation oxidation of aluminium surface in contact with water

The peculiarities of the oxidation process and the dynamics of the formation of oxide nanostructures on the surface of aluminum and water at room temperature and under the influence of radiation were studied by IR reflection-absorption spectroscopy, radiothermoluminescence and atomic-force microscopy. The role of intermediate surface-active particles in the dynamics of changes in the process of aluminum oxidation in the absorbed dose range of 0.5…120 kGy is considered. It is established that the formation of nanostructured films is dominated by molecular oxygen and other oxygen-containing ion radicals generated by gamma-irradiation. It is shown that the radiation modification of the surface leads to a change in the morphology and topography of the surface state and is accompanied by the formation of oxide nanostructures whose defectiveness is determined by the irradiation time. A possible mechanism for the radiation oxidation of aluminum in the Al/ads. H₂O system is discussed.