Self-pinning of a nanosuspension droplet: Molecular dynamics simulations.

Results are presented from molecular dynamics simulations of Pb(l) nanodroplets containing dispersed Cu nanoparticles (NPs) and spreading on solid surfaces. Three-dimensional simulations are employed throughout, but droplet spreading and pinning are reduced to two-dimensional processes by modeling cylindrical NPs in cylindrical droplets; NPs have radius R_{NP}≅3nm while droplets have initial R_{0}≅42nm. At low particle loading explored here, NPs in sufficient proximity to the initial solid-droplet interface are drawn into advancing contact lines; entrained NPs eventually bind with the underlying substrate. For relatively low advancing contact angle θ_{adv}, self-pinning on entrained NPs occurs; for higher θ_{adv}, depinning is observed. Self-pinning and depinning cases are compared and forces on NPs at the contact line are computed during a depinning event. Though significant flow in the droplet occurs in close proximity to the particle during depinning, resultant forces are relatively low. Instead, forces due to liquid atoms confined between the particles and substrate dominate the forces on NPs; that is, for the NP size studied here, forces are interface dominated. For pinning cases, a precursor wetting film advances ahead of the pinned contact line but at a significantly slower rate than for a pure droplet. This is because the precursor film is a bilayer of liquid atoms on the substrate surface but it is instead a monolayer film as it crosses over pinning particles; thus, mass delivery to the bilayer structure is impeded.

Embedding Ba Monolayers and Bilayers in Boron Carbide Nanowires.

Aberration corrected high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) was employed to study the distribution of barium atoms on the surfaces and in the interiors of boron carbide based nanowires. Barium based dopants, which were used to control the crystal growth, adsorbed to the surfaces of the boron-rich crystals in the form of nanometer-thick surficial films (a type of surface complexion). During the crystal growth, these dopant-based surface complexions became embedded inside the single crystalline segments of fivefold boron-rich nanowires collectively, where they were converted to more ordered monolayer and bilayer modified complexions. Another form of bilayer complexion stabilized at stacking faults has also been identified. Numerous previous works suggested that dopants/impurities tended to segregate at the stacking faults or twinned boundaries. In contrast, our study revealed the previously-unrecognized possibility of incorporating dopants and impurities inside an otherwise perfect crystal without the association to any twin boundary or stacking fault. Moreover, we revealed the amount of barium dopants incorporated was non-equilibrium and far beyond the bulk solubility, which might lead to unique properties.