https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530170099
Unsupported lead clusters and electron diffraction
1
Nanostructure Engineering Science and Technology Group (NEST), and Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
2
Industrial Research Ltd., Gracefield Rd, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
3
Institute de Physique Expérimentale, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Corresponding author: a This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
30
November
2000
Published online: 15 September 2001
Abstract
A beam of Pb clusters is produced with the inert gas aggregation method and probed by electron diffraction. Analysis of the diffraction patterns indicates that average cluster size can vary between 3 and 7 nm, according to nucleation conditions. The diffraction patterns from beams with larger average cluster size are very similar to patterns calculated from model decahedron clusters, while those for smaller cluster size do not appear to have simple geometrical face-centred cubic, decahedral, or icosahedral structure.
PACS: 36.40.-c – Atomic and molecular clusters / 61.46.+w – Nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanocrystals / 61.14.-x – Electron diffraction and scattering
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2001
