Coalescence dynamics of size-selected gold clusters studied by time-resolved transmission electron microscopy

Coalescence dynamics of size-selected gold (Au) clusters (each with nominal 923 atoms), on amorphous Si3N4 substrate at room temperature, has been studied via time-resolved transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found that the clusters approached each other in two stages. In the first stage, the drift velocity was independent of the particle separation and could be attributed to beam-induced random motion. In the second stage, the clusters were found to jump into contact with a much higher final averaged speed. This is independent of beam dose rates and is attributed to the van der Waal attraction.