Related papers: Surface Crystallization in a Liquid AuSi Alloy
Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy and synchrotron x-ray scattering measurements on dotriacontane (n-C32H66 or C32) films adsorbed on SiO2-coated Si(100) wafers reveal a narrow temperature range near the bulk C32 melting point Tb in which a…
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…
Solidification control is crucial in manufacturing technologies, as it determines the microstructure and, consequently, the performance of the final product. Investigating the mechanisms occurring during the early stages of nucleation…
We propose that extended orientational correlations can appear at the surface of supercooled heavy noble liquid metals, due to the same compressive forces that cause reconstruction of their crystal surfaces. Simulations for liquid Au show a…
Many nematic liquid crystals are not able to form stable monolayers at the air/water interface because of the lack of a polar headgroup. A possible way to obtain a monomolecular film with these compounds is to incorporate them into host…
We report a combined microscopy and spectroscopy study of Au deposited on the Bi2Se3(0001) single crystal surface. At room temperature Au forms islands, according to the Volmer-Weber growth mode. Upon annealing to 100{\deg} C the Au…
We simulate the liquid silicon surface with first-principles molecular dynamics in a slab geometry. We find that the atom-density profile presents a pronounced layering, similar to those observed in low-temperature liquid metals like Ga and…
The high-temperature properties of the Al(111) surface are studied by molecular-dynamics simulation. This surface does not melt below the bulk melting point, but can be superheated. Superheating of metal surfaces has been recently observed…
We present x-ray reflectivity and diffuse scattering measurements from the liquid surface of pure potassium. They strongly suggest the existence of atomic layering at the free surface of a pure liquid metal with low surface tension. Prior…
Crystallization represents a fundamental process engendering solidification of a material and determines its microstructure. Driven by complex phenomena at the atomic scale, its understanding for alloys still remains elusive. The present…
We report measurements of the x-ray scattering intensity as mesoporous glasses are filled with Neon. We outline a simple model to account for the non-linear increase in the intensity of the first peak in a liquid-like diffraction pattern as…
Understanding nanoscale mechanisms responsible for the recently discovered ferroelectric nematics can be helped by direct visualization of self-assembly of strongly polar molecules. Here we report on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)…
The contrasting melting behavior of different surface orientations in metals can be explained in terms of a repulsive or attractive effective interaction between the solid-liquid and the liquid-vapor interface. We show how a crucial part of…
Surface freezing is a phenomenon in which crystallization is enhanced at a vapor-liquid interface. In some systems, such as $n$-alkanes, this enhancement is dramatic, and results in the formation of a crystalline layer at the free interface…
Nucleation phenomena commonly observed in our every day life are of fundamental, technological and societal importance in many areas, but some of their most intimate mechanisms remain however to be unravelled. Crystal nucleation, the early…
X-ray reflectivity measurements on the free surface of liquid Sn are presented. They exhibit the high-angle peak, indicative of surface-induced layering, also found for other pure liquid metals (Hg, Ga and In). However, a low-angle peak,…
Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations of the eutectic NaK alloy are performed using the Second Moment Approximation (SMA) model potential across a wide range of temperatures at constant pressure. The alloy structure and thermodynamics are…
Alkali halide (100) crystal surfaces are anomalous, being very poorly wetted by their own melt at the triple point. We present extensive simulations for NaCl, followed by calculations of the solid-vapor, solid-liquid, and liquid-vapor free…
We have investigated the response of amorphous silicon (a-Si), in particular crystallization, to external mechanical shear deformations using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the empirical Environment Dependent Inter-atomic…
We have studied, using molecular dynamics simulations, the pressure-induced melting in a monolayer of soft repulsive spherocylinders whose centers of mass are constrained to move on the surface of a sphere. We show that the orientational…