Determination of Small Copper Clusters Based on Simulation of the Process of Gas Phase Condensation

Resumo

A molecular dynamics study was carried out on the dependence of the radii of small metal clusters that form in the process of gas-phase copper condensation on the number of atoms in them. The radii are calculated with the molecular-kinetic theory formulas from molecular-dynamic simulating data on the number of collisions between clusters. It was found that the dependence of the radii on the number of particles has a form close to the classical n^1/3. However, the average cluster radii are about 40% larger than the case in which the cluster is considered a drop of a bulk fluid.