Mg nanostructures with controlled dominant c-plane or m-plane facets by DC magnetron sputter deposition

Magnesium nanostructures find increased use in applications for hydrogen storage, catalysis, waste treatment, and heat storage to name a few. Currently, most nanoparticles are made using a chemical synthesis approach, necessitating the use of organic solvents and yielding material covered in ligands. To apply these nanoparticles, one has to use them in paints or slurries for coating of surfaces, which again produces waste. In this communication we explore the possibilities of making magnesium nanostructures by a physical technique of magnetron sputtering and to control their crystallographic properties, i.e. the type of the dominating crystalline faces building up the external surface of the particle. We show that by applying different process parameters, it is possible to obtain dominating c-plane, mixed or dominating m-plane nanostructures. Since the surface-related adsorption processes are strongly related to the type of the crystalline plane, this report presents a clean, waste-free and large-scale approach to develop tailored nanostructured Mg coatings.