Investigation of cluster layers of small netal particles by TEM, SEM, EELS and by photoacoustic spectroscopy

Author(s):  
H. Seiler ◽  
U. Haas ◽  
K.H. Körtje

The physical properties of small metal particles reveal an intermediate position between atomic and bulk material. Especially Ag has shown pronounced size effects. We compared silver layers evaporated in high vacuum with cluster layers of small silver particles, evaporated in N2 at a pressure of about 102 Pa. The investigations were performed by electron optical methods (TEM, SEM, EELS) and by Photoacoustic (PA) Spectroscopy (gas-microphone detection).The observation of cluster layers with TEM and high resolution SEM show small silver particles with diameters of about 50 nm (Fig. 1 and Figure 2, respectively). The electron diffraction patterns of homogeneous Ag layers and of cluster layers are similar, whereas the low loss EELS spectra due to plasmon excitation are quite different. Fig. 3 and Figure 4 show first results of EELS spectra of a cluster layer of small silver particles on carbon foil and of a homogeneous Ag layer, respectively.

1995 ◽  
Vol 103 (7) ◽  
pp. 2384-2394 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Hall ◽  
D. Ugarte ◽  
D. Reinhard ◽  
R. Monot

1989 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 245-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Hoheisel ◽  
U. Schulte ◽  
M. Vollmer ◽  
R. Weidenauer ◽  
F. Tr�ger

1990 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Hoheisel ◽  
F. Träger ◽  
U. Schulte ◽  
M. Vollmer

ABSTRACTThe size and size distribution of small metal particles on surfaces can be manipulated with laser light. This has become possible by use of a nonthermal desorption process based on surface plasmon excitation in the particles. Most importantly, a considerable narrowing of a given size distribution on a surface can be achieved. Recent experiments on the desorption mechanism and the size manipulation are summarized.


Author(s):  
M. Jose Yacaman

In the Study of small metal particles the shape is a very Important parameter. Using electron microscopy Ino and Owaga(l) have studied the shape of twinned particles of gold. In that work electron diffraction and contrast (dark field) experiments were used to produce models of a crystal particle. In this work we report a method which can give direct information about the shape of an small metal particle in the amstrong- size range with high resolution. The diffraction pattern of a sample containing small metal particles contains in general several systematic and non- systematic reflections and a two-beam condition can not be used in practice. However a N-beam condition produces a reduced extinction distance. On the other hand if a beam is out of the bragg condition the effective extinction distance is even more reduced.


Author(s):  
S. Herd ◽  
S. M. Mader

Single crystal films in (001) orientation, about 1500 Å thick, were produced by R-F sputtering of Al + 4 wt % Cu onto cleaved KCl at 150°C substrate temperature. The as-deposited films contained numerous θ-CuAl2 particles (C16 structure) about 0.1μ in size. They were transferred onto Mo screens, solution treated and rapidly cooled (within about ½ min) so as to retain a homogeneous solid solution. Subsequently, the films were aged in vacuum at various temperatures in order to induce precipitation and to compare structures and morphologies of precipitate particles in Al-Cu films with those found in age hardened bulk material.Aging for 3 weeks at 60°C or 48 hrs at 100°C did not produce any detectable change in high resolution micrographs or diffraction patterns. In this range Guinier-Preston zones (GP) form in quenched bulk material. The absence of GP in the present experiments in this aging range is perhaps due to the cooling rate employed, which might be more equivalent to an aged and reverted bulk material than to a quenched one.


Author(s):  
Eal H. Lee ◽  
Helmut Poppa

The formation of thin films of gold on mica has been studied in ultra-high vacuum (5xl0-10 torr) . The mica substrates were heat-treated for 24 hours at 375°C, cleaved, and annealed for 15 minutes at the deposition temperature of 300°C prior to deposition. An impingement flux of 3x1013 atoms cm-2 sec-1 was used. These conditions were found to give high number densities of multiple twin particles and are based on a systematic series of nucleation experiments described elsewhere. Individual deposits of varying deposition time were made and examined by bright and dark field TEM after "cleavage preparation" of highly transparent specimens. In the early stages of growth, the films generally consist of small particles which are either single crystals or multiply twinned; a strong preference for multiply twinned particles was found whenever the particle number densities were high. Fig. 1 shows the stable cluster density ns and the variation with deposition time of multiple twin particle and single crystal particle densities, respectively. Corresponding micrographs and diffraction patterns are shown in Fig. 2.


Author(s):  
Daniel UGARTE

Small particles exhibit chemical and physical behaviors substantially different from bulk materials. This is due to the fact that boundary conditions can induce specific constraints on the observed properties. As an example, energy loss experiments carried out in an analytical electron microscope, constitute a powerful technique to investigate the excitation of collective surface modes (plasmons), which are modified in a limited size medium. In this work a STEM VG HB501 has been used to study the low energy loss spectrum (1-40 eV) of silicon spherical particles [1], and the spatial localization of the different modes has been analyzed through digitally acquired energy filtered images. This material and its oxides have been extensively studied and are very well characterized, because of their applications in microelectronics. These particles are thus ideal objects to test the validity of theories developed up to now.Typical EELS spectra in the low loss region are shown in fig. 2 and energy filtered images for the main spectral features in fig. 3.


Author(s):  
J. Liu ◽  
M. Pan ◽  
G. E. Spinnler

Small metal particles have peculiar chemical and physical properties as compared to bulk materials. They are especially important in catalysis since metal particles are common constituents of supported catalysts. The structural characterization of small particles is of primary importance for the understanding of structure-catalytic activity relationships. The shape and size of metal particles larger than approximately 5 nm in diameter can be determined by several imaging techniques. It is difficult, however, to deduce the shape of smaller metal particles. Coherent electron nanodiffraction (CEND) patterns from nano particles contain information about the particle size, shape, structure and defects etc. As part of an on-going program of STEM characterization of supported catalysts we report some preliminary results of CEND study of Ag nano particles, deposited in situ in a UHV STEM instrument, and compare the experimental results with full dynamical simulations in order to extract information about the shape of Ag nano particles.


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