Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Ion Sputtering of a Sodium Chloride Solution

Abstract

The sputtering of an aqueous solution of sodium chloride with a concentration of 0.5 mol/L under bombardment by 1–20 positive ions with initial energies of 50–500 eV has been simulated by a molecular dynamics method. It has been found that the transfer of solute cations and anions to a gas phase requires a threshold energy of bombardment. It has been shown that the solute components occurred in the gas phase both as hydrated ions and in the form of ion pairs in the composition of water clusters. As the energy input into the cell reached ~0.33 eV/particle, the clusters of five or more water molecules were predominantly sputtered.