Ion and electron irradiation-induced effects in nanostructured materials

TLDR

Irradiation of solids with energetic electrons and ions can not only damage but also beneficially modify nanostructured materials, enabling controlled synthesis and property tailoring, provided a detailed microscopic understanding of defect production and annealing is achieved. This review surveys recent progress in understanding irradiation effects on zero‑, one‑, and two‑dimensional nanostructures, including nanoclusters, nanowires, nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene, and evaluates their technical applicability. The authors synthesize theoretical and experimental findings to elucidate the physics of irradiation‑induced defect production, annealing, and property changes in nanostructures, assessing their engineering potential.

Abstract

A common misconception is that the irradiation of solids with energetic electrons and ions has exclusively detrimental effects on the properties of target materials. In addition to the well-known cases of doping of bulk semiconductors and ion beam nitriding of steels, recent experiments show that irradiation can also have beneficial effects on nanostructured systems. Electron or ion beams may serve as tools to synthesize nanoclusters and nanowires, change their morphology in a controllable manner, and tailor their mechanical, electronic, and even magnetic properties. Harnessing irradiation as a tool for modifying material properties at the nanoscale requires having the full microscopic picture of defect production and annealing in nanotargets. In this article, we review recent progress in the understanding of effects of irradiation on various zero-dimensional and one-dimensional nanoscale systems, such as semiconductor and metal nanoclusters and nanowires, nanotubes, and fullerenes. We also consider the two-dimensional nanosystem graphene due to its similarity with carbon nanotubes. We dwell on both theoretical and experimental results and discuss at length not only the physics behind irradiation effects in nanostructures but also the technical applicability of irradiation for the engineering of nanosystems.