Figure 2 (IMAGE)
Caption
A) The new thermodynamic theory behind the nucleation process that the team proposed. The energy barrier between disordered and crystalline state is relatively low when the structure has relatively fewer atoms. The energy barrier increases and the crystalline state becomes more stable as the crystal size increases. B) The fraction of time in which the atoms exist under crystalline state versus the area of the nanocrystals. C) The energy required to reach a depressed melting point versus the number of gold atoms within the crystal. D) Merger between smaller and larger nanocrystals temporarily converts the entire structure back to a disordered state.
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