Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
10:37
Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Shell-resolved melting kinetics of icosahedral cluster
Hong H Liu1, En Y Jiang, Hai L Bai
1Tianjin Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials Physics and Preparing Technology, Institute of Advanced Materials Physics, Faculty of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
|May 14, 2009
Summary
Surface melting in a 147-atom cluster occurs in shell-by-shell stages, driven by atom migration. This process transitions continuously from the surface inward, revealing a detailed mode of cluster melting.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Computational chemistry
- Materials science
Background:
- Surface melting is a phenomenon where the surface of a solid melts at temperatures below the bulk melting point.
- Understanding cluster melting provides insights into phase transitions in nanoscale materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the shell-resolved surface melting mechanism of a 147-atom cluster.
- To analyze the dynamics of atom migration during the melting process.
Main Methods:
- Employed molecular dynamics calculations.
- Utilized Lennard-Jones potential to model interatomic interactions.
- Analyzed bond vibration fluctuations to identify melting stages.
Main Results:
- Observed a shell-resolved mode of surface melting.
- Identified vertex atom migration as the primary driver of surface melting.
- Characterized the melting process as generally discrete, shell-by-shell, yet with continuous progression from surface to core.
Conclusions:
- The melting of the Lennard-Jones 147 cluster proceeds in distinct surface shells.
- Atom migration, particularly of vertex atoms, initiates and propagates surface melting.
- A continuous melting process exists from the outer layers towards the cluster's interior.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:37Metallic Solids
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
02:54Molecular and Ionic Solids
Crystalline solids are divided into four types: molecular, ionic, metallic, and covalent network based on the type of constituent units and their interparticle interactions.
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
02:18Network Covalent Solids
Network covalent solids contain a three-dimensional network of covalently bonded atoms as found in the crystal structures of nonmetals like diamond, graphite, silicon, and some covalent compounds, such as silicon dioxide (sand) and silicon carbide (carborundum, the abrasive on sandpaper). Many minerals have networks of covalent bonds.
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...