Influence of high-intensity pulsed ion beam irradiation energy on magnesium alloy surface modification

• The behavior of defect in Mg alloy was simulated by MD.
• The relationships between the defect size, surface area and irradiation energy were obtained.
• A nonlinear relation between the irradiation energy and the defect size was found.

Magnesium alloys surface modified by high-intensity pulsed ion beam irradiation are studied by MD simulation. The specimens containing defects were modeled to investigate the effect of high-intensity pulsed ion beam irradiation on surface area and defect size. It was found that the surface area mainly depend on the value of irradiation energy. The kinds of defects in the sub-surface have little influence on the surface area. The inner surface of the defect decreases with the increasing irradiation energy. There was a nonlinear relationship between the irradiation energy and the defect size.