Size dependent arsenic volatilization in ErAs nanoparticle powders

The thermal stability of ErAs nanoparticles and bulk-like powders, synthesized by pulsed laser ablation and direct reaction, respectively, is investigated up to 700 °C in N2. Thermogravimetric analysis and XRD are used to monitor the decomposition temperatures and crystalline compositions of the syn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2018-10, Vol.113 (16)
Main Authors: Lewis, Matthew R., Remy, Roddel A., Tew, Bo E., Zide, Joshua M. O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
Arsenic
Chemical synthesis
Crystallization
Degradation
Dependence
Erbium oxide
Laser ablation
Mass balance
Nanoparticles
Pulsed lasers
Sublimation
Thermal stability
Thermogravimetric analysis
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Summary:The thermal stability of ErAs nanoparticles and bulk-like powders, synthesized by pulsed laser ablation and direct reaction, respectively, is investigated up to 700 °C in N2. Thermogravimetric analysis and XRD are used to monitor the decomposition temperatures and crystalline compositions of the synthesized powders, respectively. Degradation of unagglomerated nanoparticle powders is observed at 350 °C accompanied by the crystallization of amorphous Er2O3. Mass balance analysis suggests that the mass loss occurs as a result of arsenic volatilization rather than congruent sublimation of ErAs. Conversely, micron-sized agglomerated particles grown by direct reaction show little evidence for degradation under similar thermal processing conditions. This significant decrease in ErAs stability compared to agglomerated powders suggests a size dependence on the degradation characteristics of ErAs.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.5048191