Pii: S0021-8502(98)00782-4

The mechanism and kinetics of the growth of silicon nanoparticles via particle}particle interactions has been investigated through the use of classical molecular dynamics (MD) trajectory calculations. Computations over a broad range of temperatures and particle sizes have shown that particle sintering is very dependent on size and temperature when solid-like, and considerably less sensitive when liquid-like. These atomistic computations have been used for the "rst time to validate previously postulated phenomenological mechanisms/models for both solid and liquid particle coalescence. The results have shown that solid-like particles sinter by a solid-state di!usion mechanism while liquid-like particles sinter by a viscous #ow mechanism. ( 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved