Zn-Fe Flower-like nanoparticles growth by gas condensation

•Hybrid sputtering/gas agglomeration system produces flower-like Zn-Fe NPs.•Fast, simple and reliable method to produce bimetallic nanoparticles.•Molecular dynamics shows the growth mechanisms of the particles.•Galvanic couple between Zn –Fe protects Fe from oxidation. Bimetallic nanoparticles have gained attention in the last decade due to their unusual characteristics compared to monometallic counterparts. However, production of such particles with controlled morphologies and composition needs to be explored and the mechanisms understood. In this work, we demonstrate a fast and simple process to obtain flower-like Zn-Fe (Zinc-Iron) nanoparticles (NPs) using a hybrid system based on the combination of conventional magnetron sputtering and a cluster beam source. The morphology and structure were characterized by Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), while the chemical composition was evaluated by simultaneous acquisition of Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Besides, molecular dynamic simulations were used to model the nanoparticle collisions during the simultaneous production, revealing the formation mechanisms of the flower-like nanoparticles.