Influence of condensation parameters on the size distribution of metal clusters

Abstract

Microclusters of Pb and Bi, prepared by inert gas condensation, were studied by time of flight mass spectrometry. Cluster size distributions are presented for various metal and gas temperatures inside the condensation chamber. Increasing metal temperature as well as decreasing gas temperature result in a larger mean cluster size. Microparticles can be grown in a helium atmosphere whereas in other gases like Ar, Ne, Kr, N₂ and H₂ the particles become too large to be detected by the mass spectrometer. The cluster spectra show characteristic distributions, typical for each metal and independent of condensation conditions.