In this paper molecular dynamics simulations of the irradiation of silicon nanoparticles with 200 eV Ar ions were performed. The detailed analysis of the results obtained demonstrates special features of the interaction between incident low-energy Ar ions and silicon targets with different surface curvature.

In this paper molecular dynamics simulations of low-energy (50–200 eV) ion irradiation of nanoporous Si/SiO2-based materials were performed. Obtained results confirm the experimentally observed the densification of the uppermost surface layers of materials with small (less than 1.5 nm) pores due to pore collapse initiated by incident ions. Special features of the irradiation of nanoporous materials with He and Ar low-energy ions and the influence of their energy on structural changes of materials under study are discussed.