Issue 24, 2017

Nanostructuring of an alkali halide surface by low temperature plasma exposure

Abstract

Templating insulating surfaces at the nanoscale is an interesting prospect for applications that involve the adsorption of molecules or nanoparticles where electronic decoupling of the adsorbed species from the substrate is needed. In this study, we present a method to structure alkali halide surfaces at the nanoscale using a combination of low temperature plasma exposure and annealing, and characterize the surfaces by atomic force microscopy. We find that nanostructurating can be controlled by the duration of the exposure, the atomic mass of the plasma gas and the subsequent step-by-step annealing process. In contrast to previous studies with electron or high energy (few keV) ion irradiation, our approach of employing moderate particle energy (10–15 eV Ar+ or He+ ions) results in fine nanostructuring at length scales of nanometers and even single atom vacancies.

Graphical abstract: Nanostructuring of an alkali halide surface by low temperature plasma exposure

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Apr 2017
Accepted
25 May 2017
First published
30 May 2017

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017,19, 16251-16256

Nanostructuring of an alkali halide surface by low temperature plasma exposure

A. Hinaut, B. Eren, R. Steiner, S. Freund, R. Jöhr, T. Glatzel, L. Marot, E. Meyer and S. Kawai, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 16251 DOI: 10.1039/C7CP02592K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements