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arXiv · 2601.15835

Effects of pulsed and continuous light and heavy ion irradiation on the morphology and electrical properties of Ag+C60 and Au+C60 composite thin films

Giovanni Ceccio·Kazumasa Takahashi·Yuto Kondo·Romana Miksova·Vasily Lavrentiev·Josef Novak·Eva Stepanovska·Jiri Vacik
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Abstract

Metal - organic nanocomposite thin films represent a versatile class of materials whose properties can be effectively tuned through external stimuli. In this study, Ag+C60 and Au+C60 nanocomposite thin films were briefly investigated to elucidate the effects of ion irradiation on both their morphology and electrical properties. The films were synthesized by co-deposition of noble metals and fullerenes, using ion beam sputtering of metal targets combined with simultaneous thermal evaporation of C60. The as - deposited films were characterized by ion beam analysis to determine their composition and element depth distributions. Subsequently, the samples were irradiated at room temperature with either a continuous Ar ion beam or a pulsed C ion beam, both at an energy of 20 keV and a fluence of 1 x 1015 ions/cm2. Irradiation-induced morphological changes were examined by scanning electron microscopy. While the C-irradiated films retained compact and homogeneous surface morphologies, Ar irradiation induced pronounced surface restructuring, resulting in highly corrugated and porous-like surfaces. In addition to morphology, the electrical resistance of the films was measured. The results indicate that C-irradiated samples exhibit only minor changes in resistivity, whereas Ar irradiation strongly affects the electrical properties, with the most significant impact observed for the Au+C60 system. The observed changes in electrical resistance closely correlate with the irradiation-induced surface morphology. The measurement results are briefly discussed below.

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Giovanni Ceccio, Kazumasa Takahashi, Yuto Kondo, Romana Miksova, Vasily Lavrentiev, Josef Novak, Eva Stepanovska, Jiri Vacik. 2026-01-22. Effects of pulsed and continuous light and heavy ion irradiation on the morphology and electrical properties of Ag+C60 and Au+C60 composite thin films. https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.15835

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