Effect of low electrical potentials on the microhardness of metallic materials

The effect of low ($<$ 5 V) electrical potentials on the microhardness of metallic materials has been studied experimentally. It has been revealed that this effect does depend on the sign of the electric field potential. It has been found that the microhardness of aluminum, cobalt, and zinc decreases and the microhardness of zirconium and iron increases when an electrical potential is applied. It has been argued that the degree of microhardness change under an electric field depends on the magnitude of applied potential, the magnitude of the Hall coefficient of a metal, and its physicochemical properties.