Discrete periodic melting point observations for nanostructure ensembles
We report a study of the thermodynamic properties of indium clusters on a SiN (x) surface during the early stages of thin film growth using a sensitive nanocalorimetry technique. The measurements reveal the presence of abnormal discontinuities in the heat of melting below 100 degrees C. These discontinuities, for which temperature separation corresponds to a spatial periodicity equal to the thickness of an indium monolayer, are found to be related to the atomic "magic numbers," i.e., the number of atoms necessary to form a complete shell of atoms at particle surface.
Efremov
MY
Material Science and Engineering Department and Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Schiettekatte
F
Zhang
M
Olson
EA
Kwan
AT
Berry
RS
Allen
LH