ββ irradiation effects in graphite and applications to material engineering

An investigation has been made of graphite exposed to moderate doses (90 Gy–92 kGy) of ββ irradiation from the point of view of applications to material engineering. The average energy of the ββ particles was 196 keV. In STM images no significant modification of surface topography was observed. Irradiated samples reveal weak thermally stimulated emission (TSE) signal. Irradiation effects are also hard detectable in EPR and IR spectra. On the other hand, even small radiation doses influence high temperature surface resistance characteristics in ambient air. This result suggests an alteration of surface properties under low irradiation doses.