Metal inclusions come in 'magic' sizes

17 Jun 2002

A Berkeley-Copenhagen- Rio de Janeiro collaboration (contact Uli Dahmen, uli_dahmen@macmail.lbl.gov) has now shown, for the first time, that nanoscopic three-dimensional lead inclusions, having come to equilibrium inside an aluminum matrix, assume specific ("magic") sizes. This discovery is important since at the microscopic level the melting point of some materials can be raised or lowered by embedding particles of one type within a sample.

These naturally-assumed shapes, the researchers believe, are imposed by the crystalline mismatch between the two elements. In time, this magic-size phenomenon might be useful for tailoring specific thermodynamic, magnetic, electronic, or optical properties, the researchers reported in Physical Review Letters.