Abstract
Background: Silver nanowires (Ag-NWs) are promising as a kind of novel conducting materials for the next generation nanodevice for space application either in the form of interconnecting conducting NWs to integrate nanodevices or for transparent electrodes for solar cell. In order to explore the possible application of Ag-NWs for upper space, radiation hardness testing is important.
Methods: In this research work, total dose radiation tolerance of Ag-NWs under proton environment is investigated. Ag-NWs were irradiated with proton ions in MeV energy range. The dose of ions varies from 5x1015 to 1x1017 protons/cm2 and its effects on morphology and structure of the Ag-NWs are studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction respectively.
Results: It is observed that Ag-NWs remained stable under proton beam irradiation at the dose of 1x1017 protons/cm2 and high proton flux (1013 p/cm²/sec). Moreover, for the first time whole Ag- NWs network are embedded into a glass and silicon substrates by proton beam irradiation and depth of embedding increases with increase proton dose. At the dose of 7x1016 protons/cm2 Ag-NWs networks are fully buried while morphology and structure of Ag-NWs remain stable. At a given energy the flux plays a major role in mass transport. Burying of Ag-NWs is explained on the basis of ioninduced viscous flow and thermal processes.
Conclusion: It is concluded that morphology and structure of Ag-NWs remain stable after irradiation with MeV proton ions at different doses ranging from 5x1015 to 1x1017 protons/cm2. Whereas, at the dose of 1x1017 protons/cm2 the proton irradiation reveals that the structure deterioration in the Ag- NWs crystallinity from the nearly single to polycrystalline orientation. Moreover, Ag-NWs network is buried into the substrate materials via proton beam irradiation.
Keywords: Ag nanowires, ion-induced viscous flow, mass transport, proton irradiation, radiation stability, thermal spike model.
Graphical Abstract