Size-dependent interface energy

A universal and analytic thermodynamic model without any adjustable parameters was established to elucidate the interface energy of multilayers at the nanometer scale by taken the size effect, the interfacial orientation, and the interfacial mismatch into account. Theoretical predictions were consistent with the calculations of the modified analytical embedded atom method and the experimental data, implying that the proposed thermodynamic model could be expected to be a general approach on nanoscale to understand interface energy in binary systems.