Size-dependent phase diagrams of metallic alloys: A Monte Carlo simulation study on order-disorder transitions in Pt-Rh nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles of Pt-Rh were studied by means of lattice-based Monte Carlo simulations with respect to the stability of ordered D0(22)- and 40-phases as a function of particle size and composition. By thermodynamic integration in the semi-grand canonical ensemble, phase diagrams for particles with a diameter of 7.8 nm, 4.3 nm and 3.1 nm were obtained. Size-dependent trends such as the lowering of the critical ordering temperature, the broadening of the compositional stability range of the ordered phases, and the narrowing of the two-phase regions were observed and discussed in the context of complete size-dependent nanoparticle phase diagrams. In addition, an ordered surface phase emerges at low temperatures and low platinum concentration. A decrease of platinum surface segregation with increasing global platinum concentration was observed, when a second, ordered phase is formed inside the core of the particle. The order-disorder transitions were analyzed in terms of the Warren-Cowley short-range order parameters. Concentration-averaged short-range order parameters were used to remove the surface segregation bias of the conventional short-range order parameters. Using this procedure, it was shown that the short-range order in the particles at high temperatures is bulk-like.

Kinetic lattice Monte-Carlo simulations on the ordering kinetics of free and supported FePt L1(0)-nanoparticles.

The ordering kinetics in free and supported L1(0) nanoparticles was studied by means of lattice-based kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations. Starting from a fully disordered particle of Wulff shape, the simulations show that the nucleation of ordered domains is starting quickly on various (100) facets but is retarded in the particle volume due to the lack of vacancies compared with a thin film geometry. If a substrate is present, we do not find significant differences in the ordering behavior. This holds true, even if we impose a massively increased thermodynamic driving force for interface segregation, because the nucleation of ordered domains on free facets is significantly faster than the bulk diffusion of the segregating species to the interface. In cases where wetting of the substrate or surface facetting occurs, we find that diffusional atomic motion on the surface goes along with an enhanced long-range order.