Related papers: Metallization of colloidal crystals
The formation of the first stars out of metal-free gas appears to result in stars at least an order of magnitude more massive than in the present-day case. We here consider what controls the transition from a primordial to a modern initial…
We report the studies of ultrafast electron nanocrystallography on size-selected Au nanoparticles (2-20 nm) supported on a molecular interface. Reversible surface melting, melting, and recrystallization were investigated with dynamical…
CrCl3 is a layered insulator that undergoes a crystallographic phase transition below room temperature and orders antiferromagnetically at low temperature. Weak van der Waals bonding between the layers and ferromagnetic in-plane magnetic…
Recent advances in classical density functional theory are combined with stochastic process theory and rare event techniques to formulate a theoretical description of nucleation, including crystallization, that can predict nonclassical…
Colloidal particles are often seen as big atoms that can be directly observed in real space. They are therefore playing an increasingly important role as model systems to study processes of interest in condensed matter physics such as…
Crystallization from an amorphous atomic structure is usually seen as a spontaneous process in pursuit of a lower energy state, but for alloy systems it is often hard to elucidate because of the intrinsic structural and compositional…
The melting of elemental solids is modelled as a dislocation-mediated transition on a lattice. Statistical mechanics of linear defects is used to obtain a new relation between melting temperature, crystal structure, atomic volume, and shear…
Analysis of experimental data shows that the metal--insulator transition is possible in materials composed of atoms of only metallic elements. Such a transition may occur in spite of the high concentration of valence electrons. It requires…
Control of the crystallization process at the microscopic level makes it possible to generate the nanocrystalline samples with the desired structural and morphological properties, that is of great importance for modern industry. In the…
Crystallization, a prototypical self-organization process during which a disordered state spontaneously transforms into a crystal characterized by a regular arrangement of its building blocks, usually proceeds by nucleation and growth. In…
In metal nanoparticles (NPs) supracrystals, the metallic core provides some key properties, e.g. magnetization, plasmonic response or conductivity, with the ligand molecules giving rise to others like solubility, assembly or interaction…
A simple model of the molecular crystal of $N$ atoms as a statistical mixture in real space of $NX$ atoms in excited and $N(1-X)$ atoms in well localized ground state is considered. The phase coherence of the atomic wave functions is…
Point defects play a crucial role in crystalline materials as they do not only impact the thermodynamic properties but are also central to kinetic processes. While they are necessary in thermodynamic equilibrium spontaneous defect formation…
Gaining fundamental understanding of crystal nucleation processes in metal alloys is crucial for the development and design of high-performance materials with targeted properties. Yet, crystallization is a complex non-equilibrium process…
At the forefront of nanochemistry, there exists a research endeavor centered around intermetallic nanocrystals, which are unique in terms of long-range atomic ordering, well-defined stoichiometry, and controlled crystal structure. In…
The recent progress towards production of near-ground state quantum-degenerate molecules raises the issue of how such "small" molecules behave in an optical lattice. In this Letter we show that the coupling of the molecular orientation to…
Concentrated colloidal suspensions are a well-tested model system which has a glass transition. Colloids are suspensions of small solid particles in a liquid, and exhibit glassy behavior when the particle concentration is high; the…
Colloidal particles can spontaneously self-assemble into ordered structures, which not only can manipulate the propagation of light, but also vibration or phonons. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we study the self-assembly of perfectly…
A correlation is established between the macro-scale friction regimes of metals and a transition between two dominant atomistic mechanisms of deformation. Metals tend to exhibit bi-stable friction behavior -- low and converging or high and…
Vaporized metal, silicates, and ices on the verge of re-condensing into solid or liquid particles appear in many contexts: behind shocks, in impact ejecta, and within the atmospheres and outflows of stars, disks, planets, and minor bodies.…