The time evolution of reacting defect assemblies in bulk metals and on their surfaces was described. Three areas were treated. The first described the linear response of reacting assemblies to perturbing fields such as irradiation or temperature change. Alternative long-wavelength limits which were identified here concerned the independent diffusion of vacancy- and interstitial-type defects to sinks and the joint diffusion of defects down a chemical potential gradient; with a separate branch of solutions associated with recombination. The second topic concerned definitions of the chemical potential, µ*, and temperature, T*, which were associated with the defect system itself, as distinct from the properties of the embedding lattice. The utility of these quantities was illustrated by using examples which included those pertaining to rapid temperature changes. The µ* and T values differed from the lattice values, µ, T, to such an extent that it determined possible energy and particle transfer in such processes as the nucleation of new sinks and precipitation from the defect assembly. The role of these quantities in relaxation modes was clarified. Finally, an approximate model of defect behavior in the bulk was considered, as well as defect behavior on surfaces. Both schemes posited homologous properties for the defect systems in metals, when scaled to the melting temperature, Tm. These characteristics of a standard metal and a standard close-packed metal surface were used to identify and contrast typical behaviors of the bulk and surface-defect systems of metals.

Point Defect Reactions at Surfaces and in Bulk Metals. C.P.Flynn: Physical Review B, 2005, 71[8], 085422 (16pp)