Structure and Phase Transitions in Nanocrystals

• A size effect, or confinement effect. The nanograin behaves like a kind of box, within which the property may or may not exist [1]. Below a certain critical size, characteristics of the property depend on the grain size. This is the size or confinement effect. The way these characteristics change as a function of size is often non-monotonic and can exhibit extrema. • A surface or interface effect. In the nanograin, the contribution from layers close to the surface occupies a more and more important place in the overall behaviour of the material as the grain size decreases [1]. The surface energy gradually becomes the dominating contribution to the total energy of the material. Such a prop…