Abstract
While room temperature bulk mercury is liquid, it is solid in its nano-configuration (Ønano-Hg ≤ 2.5 nm). Conjugating the nano-scale size effect and the Laplace driven surface excess pressure, Hg nanoparticles of Ønano-Hg ≤ 2.4 nm embedded in a 2-D turbostratic Boron Nitride (BN) host matrix exhibited a net crystallization at room temperature via the experimentally observed (101) and (003) diffraction Bragg peaks of the solid Hg rhombohedral α-phase. The observed crystallization is correlated to a surface atomic ordering of 7 to 8 reticular atomic plans of the rhombohedral α-phase. Such a novelty of size effect on phase transition phenomena in Hg is conjugated to a potential Hg waste storage technology. Considering the vapor pressure of bulk Hg, Room Temperature (RT) Solid nano-Hg confinement could represent a potential green approach of Hg waste storage derived from modern halogen efficient light technology.
Highlights
While room temperature bulk mercury is liquid, it is solid in its nano-configuration (Ønano-Hg ≤ 2.5 nm)
A size effect in nano-scaled Hg dispersed in a 2-D Boron Nitride (BN) host matrix was observed at room temperature
For Hg nanoparticles with a diameter smaller than the threshold value of 2.5 nm as defined by the P–T phase diagram, exhibit a net crystallization manifesting itself through surface atomic layering of about 7–8 atomic layers
Summary
While room temperature bulk mercury is liquid, it is solid in its nano-configuration (Ønano-Hg ≤ 2.5 nm). This surface atomic ordering, in full agreement with capillary wave theory, has been observed by X-ray reflectivity measurements on bulk liquid mercury surface by Pershan et al.[8]. Both X-rays and neutron diffraction S(Q) profiles revealed a structure up to 4–5 discernable peaks: a feature of a local surface atomic ordering[10]
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