Electron-Stimulated Phase Transitions in Tin and Indium–Tin Nanowires Produced by Laser Ablation in Superfluid Helium

Laser ablation in superfluid helium has been used to synthesize nanowires with a diameter of less than 10 nm from tin and an indium–tin alloy (In 90 Sn 10 ). The morphology, structure, and possibility of nanowire oxidation by the action of a focused electron beam have been studied using transmission electron microscopy. It has been shown that tin nanowires undergo only structural changes, transforming from an amorphous to a polycrystalline state. The In 90 Sn 10 nanowires have been oxidized by interacting with residual oxygen in the electron microscope chamber. Taking into account the absence of tin oxidation during electron beam irradiation, the composition of the resulting single-crystalline oxide can be expressed by the formula (In 90 Sn 10 ) 2 O 3 .