The positron annihilation, experimental and theoretical results obtained for bismuth are presented, mainly concerning the open volume defects created during compression and dry sliding. Positron lifetime in vacancy clusters increases with the size of the cluster; however, it saturates at the value of about 0.42 ns already for six vacancies in a cluster. Similar values were resolved in the positron lifetime spectra of bismuth samples exposed to dry sliding. Detection of the subsurface zone in bismuth exposed to dry sliding reveals exponential decay of vacancy clusters concentration with the depth increase from the worn surface. The high strain of about 70% was evaluated in the layer adjoined the worn surface The temperature of recrystallization obtained from the isochronal measurements of annihilation line shape parameter was equal about 90°C, and the activation energy for grain migration is about 0.84 ± 0.11 eV.

Bismuth (Bi) is a post-transition metal element with the atomic number of 83, which belongs to the pnictogen group elements in Period 6 in the elemental periodic table. As a heavy metal, the hazard of Bi is unusually low in contrast to its neighbors Pb and Sb. This property, along with other typical characteristics like strong diamagnetism and low thermal conductivity, makes Bi attractive in industrial applications. There are more than 100 commercial bismuth products, from pharmaceutical to industrial catalysts. Based on the wide applications of Bi materials, this book goes further and mainly focuses on the potential uses of Bi-based materials, which consist of nine chapters. In addition, a special chapter concerning the defect in bismuth is also presented.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of positron profilometry, specifically focusing on the analysis of defect depth distribution in materials. Positron profilometry plays a crucial role in understanding and characterizing defects in a wide range of materials, including metals, semiconductors, polymers, and ceramics. By analyzing the depth distribution of defects, researchers can gain insights into various material properties, such as crystal structure, defect density, and diffusion behavior. The author's extensive research spanning a period of two decades has primarily centered on subsurface zones. These regions, located beneath the surface and subjected to various surface processes, play a crucial role in generating defect distributions. Three experimental techniques and their data analysis are described in detail: a variable-energy positron beam (VEP) called sometimes a slow positron beam, a technique called implantation profile depth scanning (DSIP), and a sequential etching (SET) technique. The usability of these techniques is illustrated by many examples of measurements by the author and others.

This book provides a coherent and comprehensive overview of the generation and application of mono-energetic positron beams. It has been written by acknowledged experts, at a level accessible to graduate students working, or planning to work, with positron beams, and to scientists in other areas who want to know something about the field.The book begins with a brief historical introduction and an overview of how positron beams are generated and transported. A description of the fate of slow positrons in gaseous and condensed matter, with reference to many of the fundamental measurements made possible by the advent of positron beams, is followed by a discussion on applications in the study of solid surfaces, defect profiling in subsurface regions, interfaces and thin films, and the probing of bulk properties in novel ways. The book ends with a look at the future, considering the prospects for intense positron beams and their potential for further research.

This comprehensive book reports on recent investigations of lattice imperfections in semiconductors by means of positron annihilation. It reviews positron techniques, and describes the application of these techniques to various kinds of defects, such as vacancies, impurity vacancy complexes and dislocations.

In condensed matter initially fast positrons annihilate after having reached equi librium with the surroundings. The interaction of positrons with matter is governed by the laws of ordinary quantum mechanics. Field theory and antiparticle properties enter only in the annihilation process leading to the emergence of energetic photons. The monitoring of annihilation radiation by nuclear spectroscopic methods provides valuable information on the electron-positron system which can directly be related to the electronic structure of the medium. Since the positron is a positive electron its behavior in matter is especially interesting to solid-state and atomic physi cists. The small mass quarantees that the positron is really a quantum mechanical particle and completely different from any other particles and atoms. Positron physics started about 25 years ago but discoveries of new features in its interac tion with matter have maintained continuous interest and increasing activity in the field. Nowadays it is becoming part of the "stock-in-trade" of experimental physics.

These proceedings of the "Second International Conference on Nanomaterials by Severe Plastic Deformation" review the enormous scientific avalanche that has been developing in the field over recent years. A valuable resource for any scientist and engineer working in this emerging field of nanotechnology.