Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Vol.24, No.2, 1061-1066, 2006
Influence of nanocrystalline structure on work function of tungsten
Physical properties of nanocrystalline (NC) materials(1-3) with a mean grain size of about 10-100 nm essentially differ from those of coarse-grained ones. One can assume that unique physical properties of NC 'materials are connected with their specific electronic structure. The specific behavior is attributed not only to the small NC grain size but also to the changes occurring in other structure levels of a material, in particular, electron one. (3)Especially, it concerns the role of electrons belonging to the external atom shell, the collectivization of which generates large bonding energy, and influences properties of metals and alloys. This article provides the results of investigations of total energy distribution of electrons and work function for NC metal.