Size and Shape Dependent Melting Point Depression of Al, Ag, Au, and Pb Nanoparticles

Abstract

This paper reports melting temperature depression (MPD) for nano particle using different melting models reported in the literature such as: Liquid drop model, Surface phonon instability model, Gibbs Thomson equation, and Semi-empirical model etc. Reduced particle size is associated with a significant decrease of melting temperature. For bigger nanoparticles of all forms taken into consideration, the behaviour of melting temperature is identical, while for small nanoparticles, it differs dramatically. The effect of the shapes on melting point during the depression of nano particles has also been calculated for different shapes like film, icosahedron, wire, spherical, hexahedron, octahedron and tetrahedron. It has been discovered that the shape of the particle affects the lead, silver, gold, and aluminum nanoparticles' melting temperatures. Melting temperature depression is found to be lowest for tetrahedron-shaped nanoparticles and largest for thin films.