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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
Single crystalline samples of bismuth tellurite (Bi2TeO5) were implanted with 800 keV Au+ions to a fluence of 1×1016 cm-2 at room temperature. The samples were subjected to heat treatments in two different ambients (air and high vacuum) at temperatures ranging from 400 - 700°C in a conventional furnace. Strong absorption maxima in the range from 600 - 630 nm in the optical absorption spectra and an intense blue-green color in the samples were observed for annealings performed in air at temperatures between 500 and 700°C indicating the formation of gold colloids. The average radii of the Au clusters formed were estimated to be in the range of 3-4 nm. Samples annealed under vacuum showed distinct changes in color for different annealing temperatures. Studies using the RBS/channeling technique indicate that no full recrystallization of the samples was achieved under both annealing regimes although heat treatment under vacuum provides a significantly better lattice recovery than for air ambient.