Surface Preparation and Characterization of Gamma-Phase Stainless Steel for Nitrogen Ion Implantation: A Comparative Study with Alpha-Phase Stainless Steel

¹ Department of Mechanical, GRIET, Bachupally, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
² Uttaranchal University, Dehradun - 248007, India
³ Centre of Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Rajpura - 140417, Punjab, India
⁴ Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India,
⁵ Chitkara Centre for Research and Development, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh - 174103 India
⁶ Department of Chemistry, Research & Incubation Centre, Rayat Bahra University Chandigarh-Ropar NH 205, Greater Mohali, Punjab, 140103, India

^* Corresponding author: satya.kosaraju@griet.ac.in

Abstract

The objective of this work is to examine the process of preparing and characterizing gamma-phase stainless steel for nitrogen ion implantation, therefore comparing its characteristics with those of alpha-phase stainless steel. Proper pre-cleaning of the surface was critical in an effort to reduce residual stress and enhance the effectiveness of ion implantation. Each of these materials was ion sputter etched to remove partially damaged surface layers due to mechanical reasons. Several characterization tools are followed for characterization which include x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and confocal microscopy. Minimal values indicate up to a sixty times reduction in microstrain, and the gamma-phase stainless steel exhibited the best result in terms of surface morphology improvement. In another approach, the surface properties of the material for complex biological applications are significantly enhanced.