Analysis of Pd-Ni nanobelts melting process using molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract

The melting process of Pd-Ni alloy nanobelts with different Ni atom content has been simulated by molecular dynamic (MD) method. The radial distribution function, the Lindemann index, and pair analysis method were used to characterize Pd-Ni nanobelt models in simulation. The results indicate that the melting temperature of Pd-Ni nanobelt with composition far from pure metal was lower than that of other models, and the breaking point of the nanobelt can be illustrated by the Lindemann index. Pair analysis indicates that the number of FCC pairs will decrease and almost disappear at melting point with increasing temperature. The melting points of Pd-Ni alloy nanobelts were also calculated by thermodynamic method, and the results were close to that obtained by MD simulation. © 2013 Chen Gang et al.