Size Effect In Melting: A Historical Overview

The effects of diminishing size of crystalline particles in the nanodimensional regime on their properties are well known and in certain cases well understood. Melting is a property that has been looked at from different viewpoints through more than a century, which has led to various ideas relating to its dependence on size. Two very important papers by P Pawlow and F A Lindemann, written separately about a hundred years ago, supporting earlier classical indications of the important role of surface of crystalline solids have led to important advancements in this area. The present overview summarises this advancement.