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Self-assembling of nanocavities in TiO2 dispersed with Au nanoclusters

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter, 72(24):245421, 1-5
OSTI ID:877563
There has been considerable research effort on tailoring the non-linear optical properties of dielectric materials by dispersing nanometer-sized metallic clusters in them. It has been proposed that the optical response of this type of material is related to the quantum antidots (a vacancy cluster), which is spatially located at the interface between the metal cluster and the dielectric matrix. In order to clarify the vacancy clustering behavior as well as its correlation with Au clustering, single crystal TiO2 has been implanted with Au ions at 975 K and subsequently annealed at 1275 K for 10 hours. A characteristic self-assembling of nano-cavities along the boundary between the region of Au clusters and the free surface has been observed in the present system. These cavities are faceted along TiO2(110) and have a size of ~10 nm. High angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging in an aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) revealed that vacancy clusters of ~ 2 nm in size also exist in the Au populated regions. Formation of cavities in Au-irradiated TiO2 strongly indicates that vacancy clustering processes prevail over Frenkel-pair recombination. Furthermore, the Au atoms substitution for Ti in TiO2 is also directly observed by STEM-HAADF imaging and by channeling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS).
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
877563
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-46754; 9491; KC0201020; KP1303000
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter, 72(24):245421, 1-5, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter, 72(24):245421, 1-5 Journal Issue: 24 Vol. 72
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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