Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: The properties and characteristics of materials on the subnano/nano scale are very different from those of their bulk counterparts. The evolution of materials properties with size is the holy grail of nanoscience. An intriguing question then is: Can one predict what type of material (metal, semiconductor or insulator) an unidentified element will be, when in bulk quantities, solely from the properties it exhibits over a limited range of the subnano/nano size-regime? We demonstrate here that for nominally metallic elements (i.e., elements that are metals in bulk quantities) the answer to this question is "yes", and the very identity of the element also can be established. Most importantly, we show that the phenomenon of size-induced transition to metallicity, as gauged by polarizability, is characterized by features and trends that are universal for all metals. Combining numerical simulation data with an analytical model we introduce a universal constant and derive equations that express the universality explicitly.
Source: Nanoscale
DOI: 10.1039/c8nr06307a
Authors: Julius Jellinek, Koblar A. Jackson
Institutions: Argonne National Laboratory, Central Michigan University
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Basic Energy Sciences
Awards: G426311843, G6536788935
OpenAlex ID: W2891335614