Abstract
We present time-resolved transmission electron microscopy studies of the degradation of Au, Ag, Cu and Ni nanowires deposited on a heated support. The wires are grown under fully inert conditions in superfluid helium droplets and deposited onto amorphous carbon. The inherent stability of these pristine metal nanowires with diameters below 10 nm is investigated in the absence of any stabilizers, templates or solvents. The phenomenon of Rayleigh-breakup, a consequence of diffusion processes along the wire surfaces, is analysed in situ via scans over time and support temperature. Our experimental efforts are combined with simulations based on a novel model featuring a cellular automaton to emulate surface diffusion. Based on this model, correlations between the material parameters and actual breakup behaviour are studied.
Highlights
Wire-shaped nanostructures have attracted attention due to their potential usage in circuits and nanodevices,[1,2] biosensors,[3,4,5] waveguides,[6] membranes,[7] transparent electrodes[8] or antennae for photochemistry applications.[9]
In a recent publication we studied the Rayleigh breakup of Ag nanowires,[14] exploiting superfluid He nanodroplets (HeN) as nanolabs for the production of one-dimensional metallic structures.[15,16]
When comparing the structures obtained for different metals after deposition on amorphous carbon via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it became obvious that silver behaved significantly differently from the other elements
Summary
Wire-shaped nanostructures have attracted attention due to their potential usage in circuits and nanodevices,[1,2] biosensors,[3,4,5] waveguides,[6] membranes,[7] transparent electrodes[8] or antennae for photochemistry applications.[9]. In addition to previous studies, the current experimental setup combines a very efficient and reproducible method for the production of metallic nanowires with a novel method for highly resolved in situ measurements of surface diffusion processes in ultrathin nanowires. This unique combination of apparatus and analysis tools offers the first in situ observations of the very nature of the formation and surface diffusion of metallic clusters. Correlations between the actual behaviour of various metals and their corresponding atomic properties or material constants are analysed
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