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Electron irradiation effects on Ag nanoparticles

  • Metals & Corrosion
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Abstract

In situ electron irradiation effects on shape and size of plate-like Ag nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in silicon nitride self-standing \(\approx\) 70-nm-thick membranes are investigated as a function of the beam energy (120, 160 and 200 keV) and fluence using a conventional transmission electron microscope. The irradiations are performed at room temperature and cause a rapid spheroidization of the initially observed plate-like structures. Preferential sputtering of N and Si atoms exposes the resulting Ag NPs to the vacuum. At this point the sputtering of the Ag atoms causes a size decrease at distinct rates depending on the NP size and on the beam energy. This is modeled considering the influence of a size-dependent surface binding of the Ag atoms on the sputtering process. The results are compared with literature models for size-dependent cohesive energy. Our experiments discloses a new way to modify sizes and shapes and test for the size-dependent properties of thermally unstable nanoscopic objects.

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Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support from Center for Microscopy and Microanalysis, Ion Implantation Laboratory and Laboratory of Nanometric Conformation - UFRGS. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001, and by Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Grant no. 309375/2016-9.

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Author notes

  1. Mariana M. Timm

    Present address: INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR5510, Villeurbanne, 6962, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência dos Materiais, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil

    Bárbara Konrad, Zacarias E. Fabrim & Paulo F. P. Fichtner

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Microeletrônica, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil

    Bárbara Konrad & Paulo F. P. Fichtner

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil

    Mariana M. Timm & Paulo F. P. Fichtner

  4. Escola de Engenharia, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil

    Paulo F. P. Fichtner

Authors
  1. Bárbara Konrad
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  2. Zacarias E. Fabrim
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  3. Mariana M. Timm
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  4. Paulo F. P. Fichtner
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Correspondence to Paulo F. P. Fichtner.

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Konrad, B., Fabrim, Z.E., Timm, M.M. et al. Electron irradiation effects on Ag nanoparticles. J Mater Sci 56, 8202–8208 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-05705-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-05705-0