Hexagonal Growth of Ytterbium Nanoparticles by N2 Gas Deposition

During last decade, nanotechnology has gained a significant relevance in many areas of basic research and applied science. One of the great challenges in the field of nanotechnology is preparation of nanoparticles and nanostructures where new, not ordinary materials are used. In the present study, we observed self organizing structures prepared by the gas deposition method in N2 atmosphere. Glass palte served as a substrate. Typically, the structures have shape of hexagonal pyramid with base diagonal length higher then 2 μm. Characterization of the structures was performed utilizing Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and several X-ray techniques. The crystallographic structure determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) corresponds to FCC ytterbium however signals corresponding to hexagonal ytterbium and YbN can be also observed. XRD pattern shows significantly more intense (111) diffraction peak which can be explained by the presence of hexagonal structures.