Laser ablation generation of clusters from As-Te mixtures, As-Te glass nano-layers and from Au-As-Te nano-composites. Quadrupole ion trap time-of- flight mass spectrometry
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7193 |
| Field | Analytic chemistry |
| Keywords | chalcogenide glass; Au-As-Te nano-composites; As-Te glass nano-layers; mass spectrometry (LDI QIT TOF MS); physical vapour deposition (PVD) |
| Description |
RATIONALE: Arsenic tellurides have found important applications in various fields of science, but only a few gold-arsenic tellurides have been reported. Laser ablation synthesis (LAS), a suitable method for the generation of new compounds, has been used to generate clusters from As-Te mixtures, an As-Te glass and Au-As-Te nano-composites. METHODS: Chalcogenide glass nano-layers prepared via Physical Vapour Deposition – thermal evaporation were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). LAS with laser desorption ionisation quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI QIT TOFMS) was used for the generation and analysis of new AuxAsmTen clusters. The stoichiometry of the clusters was determined via isotopic envelope modelling. RESULTS: A simple procedure for the preparation of the Au-As-Te nano-composite was developed. From As-Te mixtures only five binary AsmTen clusters were generated, while from a glass layer 10 binary AsmTen clusters were identified, because during the deposition of the glass the elements reacted with each other to form a complex three-dimensional (3D) structure. Using LAS on the Au-As-Te nano-composite leads to the formation of six unary Ten (n=1–6), 16 binary (AsmTen and AuxTen), and 31 ternary AuxAsmTen clusters. CONCLUSIONS: LAS was demonstrated to be a useful technique for the generation of AuxAsmTen clusters in the gas phase. More AsmTen clusters were generated from the deposited glass layers than from As-Te mixtures. Most of the ternary AuxAsmTen clusters generated from the nano-composite are reported here for the first time. |
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