Nanoparticle heterocoalescence induced by deposition

Coalescence induced by collision between a projectile Cu cluster and an epitaxial Co cluster supported on a Cu (001) substrate is studied by constant‐temperature molecular dynamics simulations. Results are compared with Co‐Co and Cu‐Cu coalescences. The degree of epitaxy of the Cu cluster decreases with the impact parameter and is related to the evolution of temperature with time in both clusters after the collision, especially, with the maximum. Firstly, the type of material, and secondly, the initial structure of the projectile cluster, icosahedral or cuboctahedral, determine the evolution of grains and their boundaries, and therefore, the degree of matching between both clusters. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)