High energy ions and energetic plasma irradiation of aluminum cathode inserts have been accomplished in nitrogen and argon filled plasma focus device. The Filippov-type plasma focus facility, Dena, with 288 mu F capacitor bank and charging voltage of 25 kV ( 90 kJ maximum storage energy) was first optimized for strong ion beam generation for nitrogen and argon gases by maximizing hard X-ray emission efficiency. X-ray diffraction analysis as well as scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy carried out to study the structural, morphological and compositional pro. le of the treated samples. Change in preferred orientation, emergence of meta-stable phases, generation of copper micro-droplets, and production of cracks across the sample are demonstrated and discussed. The micro-hardness measurements in Vickers scale reveal that after ion irradiation, the surface hardness of samples is reduced. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.