Size distribution of CuCl nanoparticles in glass in various stages of nucleation

Abstract

Variations in the size distribution of CuCl particles in the glass formed at different temperatures are studied via the temperature-dependent exciton spectra (the exciton-thermal analysis). The kinetics of melting of CuCl nanocrystals is measured via changes in the strength of exciton absorption during linear heating of the sample. Then, using the known dependence of the melting temperature of CuCl nanoparticles on their size, the size distribution of the CuCl nanocrystals is found. During the first, second, and early third stages of nucleation, the width δ of the size distribution grows with an increase in the mean radius of the nanoparticles R _m . During the first nucleation stage, when R _m = 1.2 nm, which is just above the critical radius, the ratio δ/R _m is about 0.2. While the mean radius of the distribution increases to 8 nm, the ratio δ/R _m varies only slightly in the range 0.20−0.35. A further increase in the mean radius of the distribution to 16 nm is accompanied by a twofold increase in the δ/R _m ratio. The shape of the distribution is close to Gaussian both at the initial and later stages of the growth of CuCl particles in glass.