Molecular-dynamics simulation of the heat capacity for nickel and copper clusters: Shape and size effects
We have investigated the heat capacity of ideal Cu and Ni fcc clusters with diameters from 2 to 6 nm in the temperature range 200-800 K by the molecular-dynamics method using a modified tight-binding potential. Our analysis has shown consistency with the experimental results at temperatures of 200-300 K. The data obtained are also indicative of several regularities that are in agreement with the analytical calculations. We have concluded from the results of our computer simulations that the heat capacity in the case of isolated free clusters can exceed that of a bulk material, with this difference decreasing as the nanoparticle grows proportionally to the reduction in the fraction of surface atoms. The excess of the heat capacity for ideal copper and nickel nanoclusters with D = 6 nm at T = 200 K has been found to be 10% and 13%, respectively. Consequently, the large heat capacities of copper and nickel nanostructures observed in some real experiments cannot be related to the characteristics of free clusters. We hypothesize that these properties of a nanomaterial depend on the degree of agglomeration of its constituent particles, i.e., the surfaces and interphase boundaries of interconnected nanoclusters can have a strong effect. To test this hypothesis, we took nickel and copper clusters of various sizes (4000-7200 atoms) produced through the simulation of condensation from the gas phase. At high temperatures, we failed to adequately assess the role of the interphase boundaries in calculating the heat capacity of nanoparticles. The reason was the mass diffusion of Ni or Cu atoms to impart an energetically more favorable shape and structure to the synthesized clusters. At low temperatures, the heat capacity of such clusters exceeded that of clusters with an ideal shape and structure by a value from 3.2% to 10.6%. We have concluded that the Ni and Cu clusters produced in real experiments cannot be applied in devices using the thermal energy of such clusters without a preliminary optimization stage, because their external shape and interior structure are nonideal.
- OSTI ID:
- 22027903
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, Vol. 114, Issue 3; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2012 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1063-7761
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COPPER
DIFFUSION
FCC LATTICES
MOLECULAR DYNAMICS METHOD
NANOSTRUCTURES
NICKEL
OPTIMIZATION
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICLES
POTENTIALS
SOLID CLUSTERS
SPECIFIC HEAT
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE