Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
Published on: February 15, 2016
Half-solidity of tetrahedral-like Al(55) clusters
1National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA.
Researchers discovered a new dynamic melting state in aluminum clusters, exhibiting both solid and liquid properties. This "half-solidity" arises from collective atomic motions, offering insights into nanosystem behavior near melting points.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Understanding the behavior of materials at the nanoscale, particularly near their melting points, is crucial for developing new technologies.
- Aluminum clusters exhibit unique properties due to their size and surface area-to-volume ratio.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic melting behavior of aluminum clusters using advanced simulation techniques.
- To characterize a novel dynamic melting state with both solid and liquid characteristics.
Main Methods:
- First-principles molecular dynamics simulations were employed to model the behavior of Al(55) clusters.
- Analysis focused on structural transformations, atomic motions, and thermal excitation of phonon modes.
Main Results:
- A new dynamic melting state, termed "half-solidity," was identified in Al(55) clusters.
- This state features collective surface transformations and atomic flow while maintaining structural order.
- Efficient thermal excitation of soft phonon modes drives these nanoscale collective motions.
Conclusions:
- The discovered "half-solidity" state provides a new perspective on the stability and flexibility of nanosystems near melting temperatures.
- This phenomenon is driven by nanoscale collective motions, offering insights into the functional properties of nanomaterials.
Related Concept Videos
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Structures of Solids
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
The Seven Crystal Systems: Overview
Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I

