Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations of the growth of nanoclusters of provide convincing evidence that experimental magic numbers, which are associated with structures based on Mackay icosahedra, are of kinetic origin. This finding resolves a long-standing contradiction between the experimental observations and the theoretically predicted most stable structures. Our results show that, even if a sticky intermolecular potential energetically disfavors icosahedral structures, the latter are frequently produced because the stickiness of the potential itself enhances kinetic trapping phenomena.
- Received 22 October 2001
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.075503
©2002 American Physical Society