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Collision-spike Sputtering of Au Nanoparticles
Luis Sandoval1, Herbert M Urbassek
1Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545, USA.
Nanoscale Research Letters
|August 7, 2015
Summary
Ion irradiation of gold nanoparticles significantly enhances sputtering yields via collision spikes, yielding 397 atoms compared to 116 for bulk gold. This effect is crucial for understanding nanoparticle erosion under ion bombardment.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Ion irradiation of nanoparticles can lead to enhanced sputter yields when nanoparticle size approaches ion penetration depth.
- This phenomenon is well-understood for collision-cascade sputtering but less explored for collision-spike sputtering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate enhanced sputtering yields in nanoparticles under collision-spike sputtering regime using molecular-dynamics simulations.
- To quantify the sputter yield for gold nanoparticles bombarded with 200-keV Xe ions.
Main Methods:
- Molecular-dynamics simulations were employed to model the interaction of 200-keV Xe ions with gold nanoparticles.
- Comparison of sputtering yields between free nanoparticles and a bulk gold target was performed.
Main Results:
- Collision spikes in gold nanoparticles resulted in a significantly higher average sputter yield (397 ± 121 atoms) compared to bulk gold (116 ± 48 atoms).
- Approximately 31% of the impact energy remained in nanoparticles post-impact, with the rest dissipated by transmitted ions and ejecta.
- Supported nanoparticles exhibited approximately 80% of the sputter yield of free nanoparticles due to suppressed forward sputtering.
Conclusions:
- Nanoparticle size comparable to ion penetration depth dramatically enhances sputtering yields in the collision-spike regime.
- Molecular-dynamics simulations provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of ion-induced sputtering at the nanoscale.
- Understanding these effects is critical for applications involving ion-beam processing of nanomaterials.
