Gibbs free energy approach to calculate the thermodynamic properties of copper nanocrystals

Based on the thermodynamic and thermophysical properties of bulk materials, Gibbs free energy for nanocrystals is obtained and used to study the size-dependent melting point depression phenomenon. On the basis of size effects on the melting temperature of nanocrystals, thermodynamic properties of Cu nanocrystals, such as the specific heat capacity, the Debye temperature and the diffusion activation energy are investigated. Conversely, reliable predictions of these thermodynamic properties further verify the proposed approach.