A Coulomb explosion strategy to tailor the nano-architecture of α-MoO3 nanobelts and an insight into its intrinsic mechanism.

Tailoring the nanoarchitecture of materials is significant for the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology. To date, one of the most powerful strategies is convergent electron beam irradiation (EBI). However, only two main functions of knock-on or atomic displacement have been achieved to date. In this study, a Coulomb explosion phenomenon was found to occur in α-MoO3 nanobelts (NBs) under electron beam irradiation, which was controllable and could be used to efficiently create nanostructures such as holes, gaps, and other atomic/nanometer patterns on a single α-MoO3 NB. Theoretical simulations starting from the charging state, charging rate to the threshold time of Coulomb explosion reveal that the Coulomb explosion phenomenon should result from positive charging. The results also show that the multiple charged regions are quickly fragmented, and the monolayered α-MoO3 pieces can then be peeled off once the Coulombic repulsion is sufficient to break the Mo-O bonds in the crystalline structure. It is believed that this efficient and versatile strategy may open up a new avenue to tailor α-MoO3 NBs or other kind of transition metal dichalcogenides via the Coulomb explosion effect.

Flux avalanche in a superconducting film with non-uniform critical current density.

The flux avalanche in type-II superconducting thin film is numerically simulated in this paper. We mainly consider the effect of non-uniform critical current density on the thermomagnetic stability. The nonlinear electromagnetic constitutive relation of the superconductor is adopted. Then, Maxwell's equations and heat diffusion equation are numerically solved by the fast Fourier transform technique. We find that the non-uniform critical current density can remarkably affect the behaviour of the flux avalanche. The external magnetic field ramp rate and the environmental temperature have been taken into account. The results are compared with a film with uniform critical current density. The flux avalanche first appears at the interface where the critical current density is discontinuous. Under the same environmental temperature or magnetic field, the flux avalanche occurs more easily for the film with the non-uniform critical current density. The avalanche structure is a finger-like pattern rather than a dendritic structure at low environmental temperatures.