Molecular dynamics computer simulations of sputtering of benzene sample by large mixed Lennard-Jones clusters

Macromolecular Sample Sputtering by Large Ar and CH4 Clusters: Elucidating Chain Size and Projectile Effects with Molecular Dynamics

“…The observed trends were explained by energy deposition in the surface region and angle-dependent blocking of the sputtered flux by the large projectile. It appeared later that these effects were both influenced by the mass of the projectile atoms . Recently, Postawa et al also studied the sputtering of organic solids with two different molecular weights, n -octane (114 amu) and β-carotene (537 amu), and they found almost no difference of sputtered quantities .…”

“…Concerning the effect of the cluster nature on the sputtering, although the mechanistic difference between heavy element and light element cluster impacts was studied to some extent in the past, ,− it is not clear whether the exact nature of the cluster significantly influences the sputtering dynamics in the case of relatively light atomic (e.g., Ne, Ar) and molecular (e.g., O 2 , H 2 O, CH 4 ) gases. The elemental mass effect in atomic noble gas clusters was already pointed out, but detailed comparisons with molecular clusters are still missing. Anders and Urbassek studied the influence of the intramolecular bonding on the impact and sputtering induced by molecular O 2 clusters with an oxygen ice solid, by artificially varying the O–O bond strength .…”

“…In the cluster sputtering literature, it has become customary to scale the sputter yields (sputtering yield volumes, Y v , or sputtered masses, Y m ) by the number of atoms (or the mass) of the projectile and to plot them as a function of the projectile energy scaled in the same manner. ,, In doing so, Seah and Cumpson could show that the sputter yields of many organic and inorganic materials bombarded by argon clusters of various sizes and energies were merging on a so-called “universal” curve for each considered material. A similar trend had been previously found in the simulations of Ar cluster bombardment of solid Ar and organic cluster bombardment of polymers .…”