Formation of an Icosahedral Structure during the Freezing of Gold Nanoclusters: Surface-Induced Mechanism

H.-S. Nam, Nong M. Hwang, B. D. Yu, and J.-K. Yoon

Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 275502 – Published 18 December 2002

Abstract

The freezing behavior of gold nanoclusters was studied by employing molecular dynamics simulations based on the semiempirical embedded-atom method. Investigations of the gold nanoclusters revealed that, just after freezing, ordered nanosurfaces with a fivefold symmetry were formed with interior atoms remaining in the disordered state. Further lowering of temperatures induced nanocrystallization of the interior atoms that proceeded from the surface towards the core region, finally leading to an icosahedral structure. These dynamic processes explain why the icosahedral cluster structure is dominantly formed in spite of its energetic metastability.

Received 9 May 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.275502

Authors & Affiliations

H.-S. Nam^1,*, Nong M. Hwang^2,3, B. D. Yu⁴, and J.-K. Yoon¹

¹School of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea
²Center for Microstructure Science of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea
³Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Taejon 305-600, Korea
⁴Department of Physics, University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743, Korea

^*Electronic address: nampo@plaza.snu.ac.kr

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Issue

Vol. 89, Iss. 27 — 30 December 2002

Reuse & Permissions

Access Options

Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Physical Review Letters