Droplet behavior from the surfaces of pure metals Ti and Al ablated by high-intensity pulsed ion beam (HIPIB) with an ion current density from 30 to 200 A/cm(2) has been investigated to explore the mechanism of mass transfer on HIPIB-irradiated materials. Droplet ejection on the ablated metal surface is studied by scanning electron microscope observation, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis and profilometer measurement. The presence of ejected droplets from the irradiated surfaces is detected on both the surfaces of irradiated metals and substrates locating adjacent to the ablated surfaces. Moreover, the number density of droplets observed on both the surfaces tends to increase with increasing the ion current density. This phenomenon correlates to the fact that higher ion-beam intensity led to a more intense ablation, i.e. a severer droplet ejection. In addition, surface roughness (R-a) for the respective metals is continuously increased with increasing the ion current density, indicating a more significant disturbance on the melted surfaces caused by the correspondingly severer droplet ejection. Combined with the previous finding of selective ablation on titanium, it is concluded that the droplet ejection is the efficient cause of cratering and disturbance on HIPIB-ablated surfaces. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.