Thermal response of nanoscale cylindrical inclusions of amorphous silica embedded in α-quartz

B. Afra, K. Nordlund, M. D. Rodriguez, T. Bierschenk, C. Trautmann, S. Mudie, P. Kluth*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    6 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The thermal response of nanoscale cylindrical inclusions of amorphous SiO2 embedded in crystalline quartz c-SiO2 is investigated by means of small-angle x-ray scattering. The inclusions are generated by swift heavy-ion irradiation that leads to the formation of amorphous ion tracks along the ion trajectories. During in situ annealing between room temperature and 620 °C, we observe an irreversible expansion of the track cylinders followed by a reversible contraction. The reversible "elastic" response of the tracks can be modeled using the temperature-dependent elastic properties of bulk amorphous and crystalline SiO2 for the inclusions and the matrix, respectively. A high initial interface pressure of the nanocylinders is apparent from the calculations.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number224108
    JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
    Volume90
    Issue number22
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 30 Dec 2014

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