FORMATION AND ATOMIC STRUCTURE OF NANOSCALE SILVER IN GLASS

Abstract

Silver particles of sizes ranging from about 2 to 100 nm embedded in a glass matrix were formed by silver-sodium ion exchange in sodium silicate glasses. By high-resolution electron microscopy examination, lattice contractions depending on the particle size were found that are comparable to or larger than those reported for nonembedded silver particles. From these lattice contractions values of the interface stress acting on the particles at room temperature as an effective compressive stress are determined. By deformation of the glasses at elevated temperatures, an elongation of spherical particles results that allows us to determine the interface stress at the deformation temperature. The large discrepancy of the resulting values points to an essential role of the cooling procedure taking place after the particle formation.