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A Simple Method for the Size Controlled Synthesis of Stable Oligomeric Clusters of Gold Nanoparticles under Ambient Conditions
Published on: February 5, 2016
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Dynamic breaking of a single gold bond
Ilya V Pobelov1, Kasper Primdal Lauritzen2, Koji Yoshida1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Nature Communications
|July 18, 2017
Summary
Bond breaking force is misleading. Rapid loading measures maximum force, while slow loading allows thermal fluctuations to break bonds, yielding lower forces. This explains paradoxes in gold nanowire experiments.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- The force required to break a chemical bond is often assumed to directly reflect its strength.
- However, external factors like loading rate and thermal fluctuations can significantly influence the observed breaking force.
- Previous experiments on gold nanowires showed paradoxical results with no clear differences in breaking force under varying conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the breaking behavior of a single gold-gold (Au-Au) bond.
- To determine the dependence of bond breaking force on the loading rate.
- To explore the influence of temperature and structural configurations on bond rupture.
Main Methods:
- Simulations of single Au-Au bond stretching.
- Analysis of breaking force as a function of loading rate.
- Investigation of temperature and structural effects on bond breaking dynamics.
Main Results:
- The breaking force of a single Au-Au bond is demonstrably dependent on the loading rate.
- Fast loading rates result in higher measured breaking forces compared to slow loading rates.
- The paradox observed in gold nanowire experiments can be attributed to the combined effects of fast atomic wire breaking and slow point contact breaking.
Conclusions:
- The intuition that breaking force equals bond strength is misleading due to the influence of loading rate and thermal effects.
- Loading rate is a critical parameter influencing the measured force required to break atomic bonds.
- Understanding these dependencies is crucial for interpreting experimental results in nanotechnology and materials science.
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