TY - JOUR

T1 - Unravelling nanometallurgy with in situ transmission electron microscopy

T2 - A case-study with copper nanowires

AU - Coradini, Diego S. R.

AU - Tunes, Matheus Araujo

AU - Quick, Cameron R.

AU - Willenshofer, Patrick

AU - Kremmer, Thomas

AU - Luidold, Stefan

AU - Uggowitzer, Peter

AU - Pogatscher, Stefan

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - Technological advances constantly set new challenges for materials development. The miniaturisation of electronic devices demands the migration of metallurgy from macro/micro to the nanoscale, thus requiring a re-definition of existing and classical concepts in this field. The present study reports on the behaviour of pure Cu nanowires with diameters ranging from 40 to 140 nm heated in a low-pressure environment within a transmission electron microscope. The response of Cu nanowires was investigated at different temperatures up to 1123 K and analysed using electron-microscopy techniques, revealing both volumetric and shape changes over time. Sublimation, with a steady-state length reduction of the nanowires, was identified as the dominant effect of such heating. Additionally, it was detected that sublimation occurred not only at temperatures above ≈ 1023 K, where Cu has a higher vapour pressure than the column pressure of the electron-microscope, but also at temperatures as low as 923 K. This behaviour is explained by the presence of active regions at sharply curved regions at the nanowire tip and the imbalance of evaporation and redeposition rates of Cu atoms due to the experimentally-induced loss of vapor atoms. The study of Cu nanowires at the nanoscale with the electron microscope facilitates the elucidation of some fundamental aspects of the emerging science of nanometallurgy.

AB - Technological advances constantly set new challenges for materials development. The miniaturisation of electronic devices demands the migration of metallurgy from macro/micro to the nanoscale, thus requiring a re-definition of existing and classical concepts in this field. The present study reports on the behaviour of pure Cu nanowires with diameters ranging from 40 to 140 nm heated in a low-pressure environment within a transmission electron microscope. The response of Cu nanowires was investigated at different temperatures up to 1123 K and analysed using electron-microscopy techniques, revealing both volumetric and shape changes over time. Sublimation, with a steady-state length reduction of the nanowires, was identified as the dominant effect of such heating. Additionally, it was detected that sublimation occurred not only at temperatures above ≈ 1023 K, where Cu has a higher vapour pressure than the column pressure of the electron-microscope, but also at temperatures as low as 923 K. This behaviour is explained by the presence of active regions at sharply curved regions at the nanowire tip and the imbalance of evaporation and redeposition rates of Cu atoms due to the experimentally-induced loss of vapor atoms. The study of Cu nanowires at the nanoscale with the electron microscope facilitates the elucidation of some fundamental aspects of the emerging science of nanometallurgy.

KW - Copper Nanowires

KW - In situ Transmission Electron Microscopy

KW - Nanometallurgy

KW - Sublimation

KW - Surface Diffusion

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85204067788&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.nantod.2024.102485

DO - 10.1016/j.nantod.2024.102485

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85204067788

VL - 59.2024

JO - Nano today

JF - Nano today

SN - 1748-0132

IS - December

M1 - 102485

ER -