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Tx = melting, Debye, Curie or superconducting temperature
Tx,∞ = that temperature macroscopically
S = spin; 1/2 or 1 (fermion or boson)
D = diameter of the nanostructure
αshape = related to the surface-to-volume ratio
Tx = melting, Debye, Curie or superconducting temperature
Tx,∞ = that temperature macroscopically
S = spin; 1/2 or 1 (fermion or boson)
D = diameter of the nanostructure
αshape = related to the surface-to-volume ratio
'Universal' equation describes how materials behave at nanoscale
Understanding how materials behave at tiny length scales is crucial for developing future nanotechnologies and continues to be a great challenge for both theoretical and experimental physicists alike. Now, a physicist at the Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN) in Villeneuve d'Ascq, France, has borrowed from 19th century physics to come up with a new "universal" equation that predicts how size affects the key physical properties of nanometre-sized structures, which behave very differently from their macroscopic counterparts.
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Predictions obtained from the equation agree very well with experimental data on melting and superconducting behaviour of nanoparticles – of silicon or lead, for example. The theory agrees fairly well with experimental results for ferromagnetism and lattice vibrations – the discrepancy is less than 10%. "This is an acceptable value because the model is quite simple and only requires knowledge of the size, shape and spin situation of the particles involved," adds Guisbiers.
"The work shows that 19th century physics can still provide useful insights into 21st century nanotechnology, and all this can be done with just a pencil and paper – no supercomputers involved!"
The work is described in Physics Letters A.
Understanding how materials behave at tiny length scales is crucial for developing future nanotechnologies and continues to be a great challenge for both theoretical and experimental physicists alike. Now, a physicist at the Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN) in Villeneuve d'Ascq, France, has borrowed from 19th century physics to come up with a new "universal" equation that predicts how size affects the key physical properties of nanometre-sized structures, which behave very differently from their macroscopic counterparts.
>
Predictions obtained from the equation agree very well with experimental data on melting and superconducting behaviour of nanoparticles – of silicon or lead, for example. The theory agrees fairly well with experimental results for ferromagnetism and lattice vibrations – the discrepancy is less than 10%. "This is an acceptable value because the model is quite simple and only requires knowledge of the size, shape and spin situation of the particles involved," adds Guisbiers.
"The work shows that 19th century physics can still provide useful insights into 21st century nanotechnology, and all this can be done with just a pencil and paper – no supercomputers involved!"
The work is described in Physics Letters A.