Size Effect in Melting: A Historical Overview

Abstract

The effects of diminishing size of crystalline particles in the nanodimensional regime on their properties are well known and in certain cases well understood. Melting is a property that has been looked at from different viewpoints through more than a century, which has led to various ideas relating to its dependence on size. Two very important papers by P. Pawlow and F. A. Lindemann, written separately about one hundred years ago, supporting earlier classical indications of the important role of surface of crystalline solids have led to important advancements in this area. The present overview makes a brief summary of this advancement.

Keywords:

• Melting of nanocrystals
• Pawlow's observations
• Lindemann's hypothesis
• Surface/volume ratios
• Cohesive energy