the enthalpy and melting temperature of nanoparticles. Nanocalorimeters provide the same data as bulk calorimeters, however additional calculations must account for the presence of the substrate supporting the particles. A narrow size distribution of nanoparticles is required since the procedure does not allow users to view the sample during the melting process. There is no way to characterize the exact size of melted particles during experiment. History Melting point depression was predicted in 1909 by Pawlow. Takagi first observed melting point depression of several types of metal nanoparticles in 1954. A variable intensity electron beam from a transmission electron microscope melted metal nanoparticles in early experiments. Diffraction patterns changed from characteristic crystalline patterns to liquid patterns as the small particles melted, allowing Takagi to estimate the melting temperature from the electron beam energy. Physics Nanoparticles have a much greater surface to volume ratio than bulk materials. The increased surface to volume ratio means surface atoms have a much greater effect on chemical and physical properties of a nanoparticle. Surface atoms bind in the solid phase with less cohesive energy because they have fewer neighboring atoms in close proximity compared to atoms in the bulk of the solid. Each chemical bond an atom shares with a neighboring atom provides cohesive energy, so atoms with fewer bonds and neighboring atoms have lower cohesive energy. The cohesive energy of the nanoparticle has been theoretically calculated as a function of particle size according to Equation 1. Where: D = nanoparticle size d = atomic size Eb = cohesive energy of bulk As Equation 1 shows, the effective cohesive energy of a nanoparticle approaches that of the bulk material as the material extends beyond atomic size range (D>>d). Atoms located at or near the surface of the nanoparticle have reduced cohesive energy due to a reduced number of cohesive bonds. An atom experiences an attractive force with all nearby atoms according to the Lennard-Jones potential. The Lennard-Jones pair-potential shown in Figure 2 models the cohesive energy between atoms as a function of separation distance. The cohesive energy of an atom is directly related to the thermal energy required to free the atom from the solid. According to Lindemann’s criterion, the melting temperature of a material is proportional to its cohesive energy, av (TM=Cav). Since atoms near the surface have fewer bonds and reduced cohesive energy, they require less energy to free from the solid phase.