Size dependence of the shape of a silicon nanocrystal during melting

Abstract

Based on the experimentally established dependence of the melting temperature of a silicon nanocrystal on its size, it is shown that, as the size of a melting nanocrystal decreases, its shape also exhibits variation. Greater nanocrystals possess either rodlike or platelike shapes. As the nanocrystal size decreases, its shape transforms and approaches the shape of a cube.