Oxidation behavior and atomic structural transition of size-selected coalescence-resistant tantalum nanoclusters

Herein a series of size-selected Ta_N(N = 147, 309, 561, 923, 1415, 2057, 6525, 10 000, 20 000) clusters are generated using a gas-phase condensation cluster beam source equipped with a lateral time-of-flight mass-selector. Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM) imaging reveals good thermal stability of Ta_Nclusters in this study. The oxidation-induced amorphization is observed from AC-STEM imaging and further demonstrated through x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The oxidized Ta predominantly exists in the +5 oxidation state and the maximum spontaneous oxidation depth of the Ta cluster is observed to be 5 nm under prolonged atmosphere exposure. Furthermore, the size-dependent sintering and crystallization processes of oxidized Ta_Nclusters are observed with anin situheating technique, and eventually, ordered structures are restored. As the temperature reaches 1300 °C, a fraction of oxidized Ta₃₀₉clusters exhibit decahedral and icosahedral structures. However, the five-fold symmetry structures are absent in larger clusters, instead, these clusters exhibit ordered structures resembling those of the crystalline Ta₂O₅films. Notably, the sintering and crystallization process occurs at temperatures significantly lower than the melting point of Ta and Ta₂O₅, and the ordered structures resulting from annealing remain well-preserved after six months of exposure to ambient conditions.