Abrupt escape from flatness

At first glance, it seems as if billions of lead atoms have mysteriously disappeared. When exposed to heat, a layer of lead coated onto a nickel surface becomes almost invisible from one moment to the next. In reality, the slightest disturbance causes these atoms to suddenly switch from a broad “flat pancake” shape to a compact hemisphere. This remarkable phenomenon was first revealed by researchers at the University of Twente’s MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, who have since published their results in Physical Review Letters.

Read the whole article on Physorg

More from Physorg