The ion mixing technique has been used to study the oxidation of pure zirconium. Nickel and other alloying element atoms were introduced into the surface layers of zirconium by Ar ion mixing. The alloyed samples were oxidized in dry air or pure oxygen at temperatures ranging from 400℃ to 800℃. The oxidation kinetics

the structure and the element concentration profiles in the surface layers were studied by means of NRA

AES and X-ray diffraction. The influence of doped atoms on the stress in the lattice and the types of defects in the oxide layers are considered to be the main factors which produce the variations in the oxidation kinetics.