Effect of surface morphology and temperature on the structural stability of nanoscale wavy films

The atomic scale structural stability of freestanding wavy gold (Au) nanofilms was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The waviness in the Au film was formed by cleaving sinusoidal surfaces from a [Formula: see text] bulk crystal. The degree of waviness was varied by changing the wavelength of the sinusoidal surface profile. Films were then equilibrated at different temperatures (between 10 and 1080 K) and their structural stability was monitored. The MD simulation results revealed that the stability of films depends on temperature as well as the waviness of the film surface. It was shown that the size-dependent melting point depression of Au plays the dominant role in causing the structural instability of wavy films.