Some applications of controlled-energy positron beams in material studies are discussed. In porous organic polysilicates, measurements of 3γ annihilation by Doppler broadening (DB) method at the Trento University allowed to trace pore closing and filling by water vapor. In silicon coimplanted by He+ and H+, DB data combined with positron lifetime measurements at the München pulsed positron beam allowed to explain Si blistering. Presently measured samples of W for applications in thermonuclear reactors, irradiated by W+ and electrons, show vast changes of positron lifetimes, indicating complex dynamics of defects.
In the present work, photoluminescence and Doppler broadening depth-resolved positron annihilation spectroscopy was performed on pure zirconia nanopowders. Zirconia nanopowders were grown by a hydrothermal microwave-driven process followed by annealing in oxygen atmosphere. Photoluminescence under 274 nm wavelength excitation from a 150 W high-pressure Xe exhibits similar spectra, in the region from 320 to 820 nm, although its intensity depends on the annealing. Positron annihilation Doppler-broadening spectra show low values of the normalized S-parameter, varying little with the depth, from 0.495 on the surface to 0.47-0.49 in bulk. Both high the annealing temperature and oxygen concentrations, lead to low bulk S-values. The ortho-positronium (o-Ps) fraction is about 10-11% for all samples on the surface, whereas it is reduced to 7-8% in the bulk for samples annealed at 700°C and 5-6% for samples annealed at 800°C. Both photoluminescence (PL) and positron studies show the presence of defects in all samples. The o-Ps signal suggests a high porosity of samples, particularly at a depth down to 10 nm.
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