Silver nanocluster formation in ion-exchanged glasses by annealing, ion beam and laser beam irradiation: An EXAFS study

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis is used to determine the silver local environment in silicate glasses doped by the Ag-alkali ion-exchange process, followed by different treatments, namely, ion irradiation, thermal annealing in reducing atmosphere, laser irradiation. The obtained results indicate that metal nanocluster composites with different cluster structures may be formed with these multistep methodologies, pointing out the role of the preparation parameters in giving rise to different features. Lattice parameters and cluster diameter were determined by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction.