Quantum shape effects and novel thermodynamic behaviors at nanoscale

Aydin A., Sisman A.

PHYSICS LETTERS A, vol.383, no.7, pp.655-665, 2019 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 383 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2019
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.physleta.2019.01.009
  • Journal Name: PHYSICS LETTERS A
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.655-665
  • Istanbul Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Thermodynamic properties of confined systems depend on sizes of the confinement domain due to quantum nature of particles. Here we show that shape also enters as a control parameter on thermodynamic state functions. By considering specially designed confinement domains, we demonstrate how shape effects alone modify Helmholtz free energy, entropy and internal energy of a confined system. We propose an overlapped quantum boundary layer method to analytically predict quantum shape effects without even solving Schrodinger equation or invoking any other mathematical tools. Thereby we reduce a thermodynamic problem into a simple geometric one and reveal the profound link between geometry and thermodynamics. We report also a torque due to quantum shape effects. Furthermore, we introduce isoformal, shape preserving, process which opens the possibility of a new generation of thermodynamic cycles operating at nanoscale with unique features. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.