A numerical study of the growth process of Au nanometre-sized particles in liquid phases

Molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to study the growth of faceted and spherical gold (Au) nanometre-sized particles in undercooled Au melts and supersaturated Kr-, Xe- and Rn-based liquid solutions at different degrees of undercooling and supersaturation. Different mechanisms have been observed depending on the chemical environment and temperature. At relatively high temperatures, surface adsorption is shown to critically depend on the dynamics of surface species with low coordination number. At low temperatures, adsorption occurs instead with no selective feature. Dendritic structures are formed at the particle surface at high adsorption rates.