Comparative study on size dependence of melting temperatures of pure metal and alloy nanoparticles

Abstract

A comparative study on the size dependence of the melting temperatures of pure metal and alloy nanoparticles has been carried out. It was found that the melting temperatures of Bi-Sn, In-Sn, and Pb-Sn alloy nanoparticles decreased more rapidly with decreasing particle size than those of the constituent metal nanoparticles (Bi, In, Pb, Sn). Namely, the size dependence of the melting temperature was stronger for the alloy nanoparticles than that for the constituent metal nanoparticles. Results calculated with a thermodynamic model were in good agreement with the experimental observations.