Potassium-silicate glass exposed to low energy H+ beam

Highlights: ► Pristine potassium-silicate glass was irradiated with 5 keV protons. ► Surface relaxation increases amount of K and NBO in the surface layer. ► Enhanced bombardment leads to a continuous decrease of NBO and K. ► A constant surplus of K in elemental state was found on the glass surface. - Abstract: Pristine surface of binary potassium silicate glass 85SiO2·15K2O was prepared in vacuum and irradiated with a 5 keV proton beam within the range of 0.6–103 C/m2. The response of glass surface was monitored by XPS and the evolution of atomic concentrations divided it into two stages. During the first one, amounts of both potassium and non-bridging oxygen (NBO) increase in the surface layer and are governed by surface relaxation. The second stage is characterised by a continuous decrease of NBO and K. Comparison of K and NBO concentrations yielded a constant surplus of K proving the existence of potassium elemental state on the glass surface. Ratio of bridging oxygen (BO) and silicon is conserved during proton bombardment. The extrapolation of the glass response to the enhanced irradiation predicts a formation of substoichiometric SiOx with some elemental K on the topmost surface.