A Study of the Kinetics of Oxidation of Titanium Nanolayers and Their Application in Neutron Optical Devices

The kinetics of oxidation of 10–40-nm-thick titanium films in air is studied by combining X-ray and neutron reflectometry. It is found that the thickness of the oxide layer on the surface of Ti nanolayers does not increase after keeping the samples at room temperature for a year. At temperatures of 100–300°C the oxidation kinetic curves of Ti nanolayers are described by a logarithmic dependence. The obtained results indicate the applicability of the Cabrera–Mott and Evans model approximations to describe the oxidation process of Ti nanolayers in air. Examples of the application of Ti nanolayers in polarizing mirrors and a neutron mirror spin flipper are given.