Publication Date:
2009-12-08
Description:
Phase transformation generally begins with nucleation, in which a small aggregate of atoms organizes into a different structural symmetry. The thermodynamic driving forces and kinetic rates have been predicted by classical nucleation theory, but observation of nanometer-scale nuclei has not been possible, except on exposed surfaces. We used a statistical technique called fluctuation transmission electron microscopy to detect nuclei embedded in a glassy solid, and we used a laser pump-probe technique to determine the role of these nuclei in crystallization. This study provides a convincing proof of the time- and temperature-dependent development of nuclei, information that will play a critical role in the development of advanced materials for phase-change memories.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Lee, Bong-Sub -- Burr, Geoffrey W -- Shelby, Robert M -- Raoux, Simone -- Rettner, Charles T -- Bogle, Stephanie N -- Darmawikarta, Kristof -- Bishop, Stephen G -- Abelson, John R -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2009 Nov 13;326(5955):980-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1177483.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, IL 61801, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19965508" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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