https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530170052
Non-crystalline structures in the growth of silver nanoclusters
1
INFM and CFSBT/CNR,
Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università di Genova,
via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
2
CRMC2/CNRS, Campus de Luminy, Case
913, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France
Corresponding author: a ferrando@fisica.unige.it
Received:
28
November
2000
Published online: 15 September 2001
The growth of nanometer-size free Ag clusters is studied by Molecular
Dynamics simulations.
The morphology transition from the icosahedron at the magic size of N=55 atoms
to the
Marks truncated decahedron at N=75 is analyzed in details, in order to single
out kinetic trapping and entropic effects. At very low T,
the cluster is kinetically trapped in an icosahedral structure. At intermediate
T the transition takes place sharply at 
. At higher T, the
transition is smeared out and finally, around 550 K no transition is found
because the 75 decahedron is melted.
PACS: 61.46.+w – Nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2001
