Sputtering of freestanding metal nanocrystals

The sputtering mechanisms of nanocrystals are of interest both from basic science and application development points of view. Since the surface-to-volume ratio of nanocrystals is huge compared to normal bulk matter, one could expect enhanced sputtering yields, and indeed both simulations and experiments show sputtering yields which are clearly larger than those for flat bulk targets. We present a simple analytical model for the sputtering from nanocrystals, and apply it to two different kinds of irradiation, 25 keV Ga and 200 keV Ar irradiation of 1–15 nm diameter Au nanocrystals. The model predicts sputtering yields from the nanocrystals in good agreement with molecular dynamics simulations and experiments.