Ion-beam induced nano-sized Ag-metal clusters in glass

The formation of silver-metal clusters has been studied in ion-exchanged soda-lime glass following swift heavy ion irradiation at ISL. While the transformation into a metallic chemical form was detected with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS) the shape and geometrical arrangement was studied both by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). A chain-like arrangement of nanoclusters of approximately 7 nm in diameter observed in TEM was further investigated with in situ SAXS during the subsequent annealing process.