Observations of the Melting Transition in Thin Lead Films
- 24 November 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 57 (21) , 2683-2685
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.57.2683
Abstract
The first direct observation of the melting transition of a uniformly flat (20-Å-thick) Pb film, sandwiched between two amorphous Ge films, is reported. The transition was observed by transmission electron microscopy with dark-field imaging. The melting transition occurred over a broad temperature range, and was continuous and reversible. It is concluded that the transition proceeds by a disordering mechanism rather than the formation of a liquid-solid interface. The transition was not homogeneous but proceeded at a rate of disordering that was greater from the Pb-Pb grain boundaries than from the Pb-Ge interfacial region.Keywords
This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- Observation of Surface MeltingPhysical Review Letters, 1985
- Semi-infinite systems with first-order bulk transitionsPhysical Review B, 1983
- Critical Surface Phenomena at First-Order Bulk TransitionsPhysical Review Letters, 1982
- Melting of Pb as it approaches a two-dimensional solidPhysical Review B, 1982
- Grain-boundary melting transition in a two-dimensional lattice-gas modelPhysical Review B, 1980