Crater production by energetic nanoparticle impact on Au nanofoams

C Anders and EM Bringa and HM Urbassek, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, 108, 113108 (2016).

DOI: 10.1063/1.4944420

Impact of energetic nanoparticles on solids produces craters on the surface. We use molecular dynamics simulations to compare crater production on a compact Au solid with that in a porous (foam) target. Our results show a complex picture: (i) At low impact velocities, the nanoparticles produce permanent craters in the foam while they cannot penetrate the compact target. (ii) With increasing velocity and/or projectile mass, the crater depth in the foam target increases less strongly than for the compact target. The plasticity-affected zone in the foam target is of similar size as in the compact target. Our results are relevant for the use of porous structures as shields against nanoparticle impact. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.

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