Nanoscale Surfaces Nanosized Metal Clusters: Challenges and Opportunities

This article presents challenges and opportunities to control the microstructure in nanostructured coatings using a nanocluster source. The cluster size distribution is monodisperse and the kinetic energy of the clusters during deposition can be varied. Interestingly, the clusters are grown in extreme non-equilibrium conditions leading to metastable structures of metals and alloys. Because one avoids the effects of nucleation and growth on a specifi c substrate, one may tailor the properties of the fi lms by choosing the appropriate preparation conditions