Mechanical Properties of Ag Nanoparticle Thin Films Synthesized by Supersonic Cluster Beam Deposition

The morphological and mechanical properties of nanoparticles-based ultrathin Ag films, synthesized by supersonic cluster beam deposition over a sapphire substrate, are unveiled exploiting ultrafast optoacoustic, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The films, with thicknesses in the 10–50 nm range, have a porous structure composed of metallic Ag nanoparticles with a crystalline structure...