Eur. Phys. J. B (2013) 86: 123
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2013-31088-2

Regular Article

Specifics of thermodynamic description of nanocrystals

G.V. Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics of Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, 36 Vernadsky bl., 03142 Kiev, Ukraine

^a e-mail: akaras@imp.kiev.ua

Received: 4 December 2012
Received in final form: 22 January 2013
Published online: 1 April 2013

Abstract

A method of statistical description of thermodynamic properties of nanocrystals is developed. It is established that size-dependent quantization of vibrational modes results in formation of excess pressure of the phonon gas acting outwards the crystal. Based on the concept of the phonon gas pressure, size dependence of thermodynamic properties of nanocrystals was described, and size influence on a shift of a phase transformation temperature was explained.