Size-dependent melting temperature of nanoparticles based on cohesive energy

Abstract

Size-dependent melting temperature of metallic nanoparticles is studied theoretically based on cohesive energy. Three factors are introduced in the present model. The k factor, i.e. efficiency of space filling of crystal lattice is defined as the ratio between the volume of the atoms in a crystal cell and that of the crystal cell. The β factor is defined as the ratio between the cohesive energy of surface atom and interior atom of a crystal. The qs factor represents the packing fraction on a surface crystalline plane. Considering the β, qs and k factors, the relationship between melting temperature and nanoparticle size is discussed. The obtained model is compared with the reported experimental data and the other models.