Positron lifetime spectroscopy was applied to investigate the thermal stability of nanocrystalline copper prepared by severe plastic torsion deformation. Positrons annihilating in as prepared specimens exhibited free positron component τ_{1} and two defect components τ_{2}=164 ps and τ_{3}=255 ps. Evolution of the lifetimes and relative intensities of all the three components with increasing annealing temperature during step-by-step isochronal annealing up to 630°C was studied. Behaviour of positrons in nanocrystalline copper could not be interpreted in the frame of conventional 3-state trapping model due to highly inhomogeneous defect distribution. Therefore a modified trapping model was developed and applied to explain the experimental results.
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