Mechanical property modifications of microsphere glass induced by Ar ion irradiation
In order to study the mechanical properties of ion irradiated hollow glass microspheres, the glass sample with the same composition of the hollow glass microspheres was irradiated by Ar ions. Combining with the annealing treatment, the mechanical properties of microsphere glass were studied by means of nanoindentation. The results show that the hardness and modulus of the microsphere glass are decreased after ion irradiation, and the recovery resistance is obviously increased. After annealing, the hardness and modulus of unirradiated samples showed an upward trend, and the recovery resistance did not change within the error range; the hardness of the irradiated microsphere glass is increased, while the modulus and the recovery resistance are significantly decreased. After annealing at around 300 ℃, the recovery resistance of the irradiated sample is the same as the unirradiated sample within the error range.