Electron-beam induced electric-hydraulic expansion in a silica-shelled gallium microball-nanotube structure

Abstract

Heteroshape-heteroscale structure of silica-shelled Ga microball-nanotube was fabricated. Under in situ electron-beam irradiation, an abnormally large and fast expansion of Ga was observed. Failed by a sole routine heating effect of electron-beam, the expansion was explained by an electric-hydraulic expansion effect taking into account a huge inner pressure induced by the repelling Coulomb force of positively charged Ga ions on the Ga microball surface. The ions were accumulated due to knocking-out of Ga electrons under irradiation and shielding effect of a silica shell which prevents the charge balance restoration. A circuit model is proposed to calculate the accumulation of Ga ions. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.