Stress and Strain Analysis for InSb Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Inert Gas Condensation Technique

InSb nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using a vapor phase technique known as inert gas condensation. The NPs were characterized using TEM, WAXS and XRD techniques. TEM studies revealed a bimodal distribution of these NPs with an average NP size of 13.7 nm and 33.2 nm. WAXS results showed that the NPs were crystalline in nature and exhibited a cubic symmetry. X-ray peak broadening analysis was carried out to obtain stress and strain in these InSb NPs using Debye-Scherrer (DB) method and Williamson-Hall (WH) method. Different WH models were used to obtain the crystallite size, stress, strain and energy density of these NPs. The mean particle size estimated using TEM, DB method and WH method were consistent with each other. The difference in the values of strain obtained using different WH models might suggest anisotropy in the material.