title: Nucleation and melting from nanovoids.
abstract: Melting in solids containing nanovoids is studied via molecular dynamics simulation, and the finite size effects are treated with different size systems. For the first time, we have found four typical stages in void melting that are different from the melting of bulk materials and nanoparticles. Melting in each of the stages is governed by the interplay among different thermodynamic mechanisms arising from the changes in the interfacial free energies, the curvature of the interface, and the elastic energy induced by the density change at melting. As a result, the local melting temperatures show a strong dependence on the void size, which is the root cause of the observed complex hierarchical melting sequence.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, USA.
authors.forename: Xian-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Mo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition; D044366:Transition Temperature