Enhancement of low-energy electron emission in 2D radioactive films

An approach for synthesizing a one-atom-thick layer of a radioactive iodine isotope on a gold substrate is reported, with a substantial increase in the emission of low-energy electrons. Such a system might have potential for targeted nanoparticle therapies. High-energy radiation has been used for de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2015-09, Vol.14 (9), p.904-907
Main Authors: Pronschinske, Alex, Pedevilla, Philipp, Murphy, Colin J., Lewis, Emily A., Lucci, Felicia R., Brown, Garth, Pappas, George, Michaelides, Angelos, Sykes, E. Charles H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
140/146
639/766/119/544
639/925/357/1018
639/925/357/551
Beta Particles
Biological
Biomaterials
Condensed Matter Physics
Electron emission
Electronic structure
Electrons
Emissions
Energy
Gold
Gold - chemistry
Iodine Isotopes - chemistry
Irradiation
letter
Low energy
Materials Science
Membranes, Artificial
Microscopy
Nanostructure
Nanotechnology
Nuclei
Optical and Electronic Materials
Radiation
Radioactive emissions
Radioisotopes
Therapy
Two dimensional
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Summary:An approach for synthesizing a one-atom-thick layer of a radioactive iodine isotope on a gold substrate is reported, with a substantial increase in the emission of low-energy electrons. Such a system might have potential for targeted nanoparticle therapies. High-energy radiation has been used for decades; however, the role of low-energy electrons created during irradiation has only recently begun to be appreciated 1 , 2 . Low-energy electrons are the most important component of radiation damage in biological environments because they have subcellular ranges, interact destructively with chemical bonds, and are the most abundant product of ionizing particles in tissue. However, methods for generating them locally without external stimulation do not exist. Here, we synthesize one-atom-thick films of the radioactive isotope 125 I on gold that are stable under ambient conditions. Scanning tunnelling microscopy, supported by electronic structure simulations, allows us to directly observe nuclear transmutation of individual 125 I atoms into 125 Te, and explain the surprising stability of the 2D film as it underwent radioactive decay. The metal interface geometry induces a 600% amplification of low-energy electron emission (
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/nmat4323