Electrohydrodynamic dispersion of metals using electron-beam heating

Abstract

The generation of metallic nanoparticles using an electrohydrodynamic source is considered; in this process, the surface of a metallic anode tip is melted with an electron beam. At an anode voltage of 11–12 kV and a current of 0.2–0.3 mA, structures that mainly consist of metallic particles 20–30 nm in size form on a substrate. An increase in the current leads to the appearance of larger particles on the substrate. The conditions of nanoparticle formation are analyzed, and nanoparticles are shown to form as a result of the cascade fragmentation of the initial metallic microdrops emitted from the anode surface under the action of an electric field. The fragmentation of the initial drops is caused by the capillary instability that appears due to the recharging of these drops when they fly through an electron beam focused near the anode surface.