SIZE AND SHAPE DEPENDENT MELTING-THERMODY- NAMIC PROPERTIES OF METALLIC NANOPARTICLES

A melting-thermodynamic model is developed, which can describe the effect of size and shape of metallic nanoparticle on its melting-thermodynamic properties. It is predicted that there exist a minimum critical size rc = 5ro/μ1/2{l - exp[-2Sm(∞)/3k]} and a lowest melting temperature for metallic nanoparticle. The present theoretical results on the melting point, the melting entrapy and the melting enthalpy of nanoparticles Au, In, Al and Sn are consistent with the corresponding experimental values.