Surface morphology and wetting property of silver nanocluster-deposited films have been comprehensively investigated. A gas aggregation-type magnetron sputtering process is used to produce Ag nanoclusters, and the films are prepared by varying the cluster ion currents. The morphological result suggests that the deposited clusters agglomerate over the surface and also the overall size distribution is affected with increasing ion current. The morphological data are used to characterize various statistical parameters of the surface such as the interface width, autocorrelation function, power spectral density function, and fractal dimensions of the films. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study reveals that the produced Ag nanostructures are made of pure metallic silver, and the total atomic concentration of silver on the surface increases with the increase of cluster ion currents. Wettability study of the films reveals that the morphological parameters along with the changing surface chemistry influenced the wetting property of the films. A sudden transition in surface wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic is observed for the films measured via water contact angle measurements. The comparison with the theoretical values suggests that the nanostructures produced for higher ion currents follow the Wenzel’s model. Finally, a correlation between the fractal dimension and the water contact angle values has been observed.

中文翻译：

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尺寸选择的银纳米团簇产生的分形表面润湿性转变

已经全面研究了银纳米团簇沉积膜的表面形貌和润湿性能。采用气体聚集式磁控溅射工艺制备Ag纳米团簇，通过改变团簇离子电流制备薄膜。形态学结果表明沉积的团簇在表面上聚集，并且整体尺寸分布也随着离子电流的增加而受到影响。形态学数据用于表征表面的各种统计参数，例如界面宽度、自相关函数、功率谱密度函数和薄膜的分形维数。X 射线光电子能谱研究表明，生成的 Ag 纳米结构由纯金属银制成，表面银的总原子浓度随着簇离子电流的增加而增加。薄膜的润湿性研究表明，形态参数以及表面化学的变化影响了薄膜的润湿性能。对于测量的薄膜，观察到表面润湿性从亲水性到疏水性的突然转变通过水接触角测量。与理论值的比较表明，为更高离子电流产生的纳米结构遵循 Wenzel 模型。最后，已经观察到分形维数和水接触角值之间的相关性。