Quasimelting and phases of small particles

Abstract

Calculations of the Gibbs free energies of single-crystal and multiply twinned small metal particles clearly indicate for the first time both the presence of a quasimolten phase (where the particles are continuously fluctuating between different structures) at temperatures well below the melting point and the existence of distinct phase regions for different particle shapes. These results have important implications for the understanding of epitaxial growth processes; for instance, at temperatures where the quasimolten and single-crystal phases are contiguous one would expect far better epitaxial growth than at temperatures where the multiply twinned phases are stable.