Interaction between water cluster ions and mica surface

Abstract

Water cluster ion beams were irradiated on mica surfaces to investigate the interaction between molecular cluster ions and a mica surface. The contact angle of the mica surface increased with increasing dose of the water cluster ion beam, but the increase in the contact angle was smaller than that induced by an ethanol cluster ion beam. The surface roughness also increased with increasing dose of the water cluster ion beam, whereas the intensity of K 2p x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy peaks decreased with increasing dose of the water cluster ion beam. The decrease in the number of potassium atoms together with the increase in the surface roughness may be the causes of the increase in the contact angle.