Publisher’s Note: Large Melting-Point Hysteresis of Ge Nanocrystals Embedded inSiO2[Phys. Rev. Lett.97, 155701 (2006)]

Transition metal co-precipitation mechanisms in silicon

“…6c. While in situ TEM measurements by Dahmen et al [40] and Xu et al [41] have observed the melting of pre-existing precipitates in other matrices (Pb precipitates in Al, and Ge precipitates in SiO x , respectively), the observation of precipitation and growth of liquid metal clusters during cooling is much more challenging (supersaturated metals predominantly diffuse out to the TEM sample surfaces, which are typically less than 1 lm away).…”

“…The distinguishing feature of the mechanism proposed herein would be the formation of the gettering agent; i.e., precipitation of dissolved metallic impurities into liquid metal-Si droplets. One may even speculate that the embedded particle may remain liquid well below the equilibrium binary eutectic temperature, owing to the presence of other impurity species in multinary systems and, where appropriate, nano-scale size effects [41].…”

Thermodynamic properties of Pt nanoparticles: Size, shape, support, and adsorbate effects

“…TEM, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, EXAFS, etc.) for several nanoscale material systems, including supported or embedded Pt 5,6,28,29 , Ag 17 , and Ge NPs 16,30,31 , as well as unsupported nanocrystalline agglomerates such as Ag 32 , Au 32 , ZnS 12 , and thiol-capped CdS 13 and CdTe 14 nanocrystals. A comparison between the different references is challenging due to the distinct sample preparation and characterization conditions, and in some cases, the lack of detail on the specific structure of the systems investigated.…”

Interfacial free energies determined from binary embedded alloy nanocluster geometry

“…For elemental and simple compound nanocrystals, interfacial energies are often obtained through study of the melting transition. 2,10,11 Determining the interfacial free energies relevant to BEAN behaviors poses a more challenging problem, as the melting transition of BEANs is yet to be fully characterized. Here, a method for determining interfacial free energies within BEANs is proposed.…”

“…Interfacial effects can lead to large shifts in equilibrium melting points 1 and can alter melting/solidification kinetics. 2 Recently, nanostructures embedded in a matrix have drawn some attention. Confinement within a matrix offers the opportunity of changing interfacial free energies (e.g., through choice of nanostructure and matrix materials) and can result in a number of interesting geometries and properties.…”