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Premelting of Thin Wires

O. Gulseren·F. Ercolessi·E. Tosatti
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Abstract

Recent work has raised considerable interest on the nature of thin metallic wires. We have investigated the melting behavior of thin cylindrical Pb wires with the axis along a (110) direction, using molecular dynamics and a well-tested many-body potential. We find that---in analogy with cluster melting---the melting temperature $T_m (R)$ of a wire with radius $R$ is lower than that of a bulk solid, $T_m^b$, by $T_m (R) = T_m^b -c/R$. Surface melting effects, with formation of a thin skin of highly diffusive atoms at the wire surface, is observed. The diffusivity is lower where the wire surface has a flat, local (111) orientation, and higher at (110) and (100) rounded areas. The possible relevance to recent results on non-rupturing thin necks between an STM tip and a warm surface is addressed.

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O. Gulseren, F. Ercolessi, E. Tosatti. 1994-10-05. Premelting of Thin Wires. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.51.7377

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