Structural characterization of ion implanted Au nanocrystals using synchrotron-based analytical techniques

Full text: Synchrotron based analytical techniques including extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy provide powerful tools for structural characterization of nanocrystalline materials. Combining these techniques with conventional analytical methods such as x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy we have investigated Au nanocrystals formed in thin SiO2 using ion implantation. Furthermore, we have studied their structural evolution following ion irradiation. Non-irradiated nanocrystals show a significant bondlength contraction, essentially retaining the face-centred-cubic structure present in bulk material, in contrast to bulk elemental metals, which cannot be rendered amorphous by ion irradiation, irradiated nanocrystals exhibit a significant structural change consistent with amorphous material. Copyright (2005) Australian Institute of Physics