Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9812794 | Thin Solid Films | 2005 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Au films deposited under ultra-high vacuum conditions on air-cleaved mica substrates were exposed in situ to Hg vapor (residual gas pressure â¼1Ã10â7 Pa, with Hg vapor pressure of 0.24 Pa). This led to transformation of continuous gold film into isolated amalgam islands of nanometer scale. The changes of Au thin film surface topography caused by amalgamation carried out within â¼40 h were studied by the atomic force microscopy method, while the phase transition in the bulk of Hg-dosed Au films was monitored by means of X-ray diffraction. The island's morphology varies from irregular, ramified structures on terraces to compact shapes along the steps on the mica substrate. After thermal decomposition of the amalgam, thin gold films consisting of isolated Au nanostructures on mica can be obtained.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Authors
Tomasz Kobiela, Zbigniew Kaszkur, Ryszard DuÅ,