Characterization of individual free-standing nano-objects by cluster SIMS in transmission Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • 2016 American Vacuum Society. The authors report the characterization of individual free-standing 5 nm gold nanoparticles deposited on ultrathin graphene film by cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in the transmission direction. For primary ions, the authors used C601,2+ and Au4004+ at impact energies of approximately 0.42, 0.83, and 1.3 keV/atom, respectively. The experiments were run as a sequence of single projectile impacts with each time separate recording of the secondary ions identified via time-of-flight-mass spectrometer. Graphene generates small mass secondary ions (SIs). It contributes little beyond m/z 120, facilitating the detection of moieties attached to the nanoparticles. From the SI yield of the molecular ion, it can be determined on which side of the graphene the analyte is deposited. Compared to the conventional reflection SIMS, the transmission SIMS shows a 4 times higher effective yield of molecular ions from dodecanethiol layer on nanoparticles. The SI yields from Au4004+ bombardment are 3 times higher than those from C602+ bombardment for the analysis of nanoparticles on graphene in the transmission direction.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY B

altmetric score

  • 1

author list (cited authors)

  • Geng, S., Verkhoturov, S. V., Eller, M. J., Clubb, A. B., & Schweikert, E. A.

citation count

  • 3

complete list of authors

  • Geng, Sheng||Verkhoturov, Stanislav V||Eller, Michael J||Clubb, Aaron B||Schweikert, Emile A

publication date

  • May 2016