Thermodynamic approach to the size dependence of the melting temperatures of films
The size dependence of melting temperature Tm of metallic films (tin and copper) on different substrates, including amorphous carbon and another refractory metal (i.e., the dependence of Tm on film thickness h) is investigated. It is found that the effect of the interfacial boundary can result in the growth of Tm for thin metallic films on carbon substrates with a reduction in film thickness h. For a system with a metallic film on a metallic substrate, the size dependence of Tm is less pronounced and Tm falls with a reduction in h.