Controlled reduction of size of Ag nanoparticles embedded in teflon matrix by MeV ion irradiation

MeV ion irradiation of Ag-Teflon nanocomposite (NC) films, which were synthesized by co-sputtering, was studied in this work. Irradiation of these NC thin films with 100 MeV Ag8+ ions at fluences from 3 x 1011 to 1 x 1012 ions/cm2 resulted in the reduction of size of Ag NPs as evident by the increase in width of plasmon absorption band and red shift in plasmon absorption peak. TEM results confirmed the decrease in size of NPs by the changes evident from the particle size distribution, which emphasize the role of ion beams in nano-engineering. This article reports the possibility of reduction in size and size distribution in controlled fashion by swift heavy ion irradiation