Abstract.
The investigation reported in this paper is an attempt to analyze and understand the hetero-diffusion of small clusters on the (111) surface of Ag. This work has been realized using molecular statics simulations based on semi-empirical many body potentials described by the embedded atom method. For this study, we have considered three heterogeneous systems Cun/Ag(111), Agn/Ag(111) and Aun/Ag(111), where n is the number of cluster atoms (n = 1 , 2, 3, 4 or 5). Our findings show that the clusters diffuse on the (111) surface via two different diffusion processes, namely the zigzag motion and the concerted jump. Moreover, the activation energy increases from adatom, dimer, to trimer, and goes down at tetramer, and then rises again for pentamer. This behavior is similar for the three systems under study and also to the one obtained by the density-functional theory for the homogenous systems.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
A. Kotri, E. Elkoraychy, Y. Lachtioui, M. Mazroui, Y. Boughaleb, Opt. Quantum Electron. 48, 101 (2016)
Y. Lachtioui, A. Kotri, I. Tarras, K. Saadouni, M. Mazroui, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 628, 86 (2016)
E. Elkoraychy, A. kotri, M. Mazroui, K. Sbiaai, K. Saadouni, Mod. Phys. Lett. B 29, 1550090 (2015)
M. Benlattar, E. El koraychy, A. Kotri, M. Mazroui, Eur. Phys. J. Plus 132, 522 (2017)
B. Geisler, P. Kratzer, T. Suzuki, T. Lutz, G. Costantini, K. Kern, Phys. Rev. B 86, 115428 (2012)
X. Liu, M. Hupalo, C. Wang, W.-C. Lu, P.A. Thiel, K.-M. Ho, M.C. Tringides, Phys. Rev. B 86, 081414 (2012)
G. Ehrlich, Surf. Sci. 246, 1 (1991)
J. Ellis, J.P. Toennies, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2118 (1993)
E. Kopatzki, S. Gunter, W. Nichtl-Petcer, R.J. Behm, Surf. Sci. 284, 154 (1993)
J.A. Strascio, D.T. Pierce, Phys. Rev. B 49, 8522 (1994)
K.W. Jacobsen, J.K. Norskov, M.J. Puska, Phys. Rev. B 35, 7423 (1987)
M.S. Daw, M.I. Baskes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 50, 1285 (1983)
F. Ercolessi, M. Parrinello, E. Tosatti, Philos. Mag. A 58, 213 (1988)
V. Rosato, M. Guillopé, B. Legrand, Philos. Mag. A 59, 321 (1989)
H. Brune, H. Roder, C. Boragno, K. Kern, Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1955 (1994)
S.C. Wang, G. Ehrlich, Surf. Sci. 239, 301 (1990)
M. Eßer, K. Morgenstern, G. Rosenfeld, G. Comsa, Surf. Sci. 402, 345 (1998)
R.C. Jaklevic, L. Elie, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 120 (1988)
C.M. Chang, C.M. Wei, S.P. Chen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1044 (2000)
F. Montalenti, R. Ferrando, Surf. Sci. 27, 432 (1999)
U. Kürprick, Phys. Rev. B 63, 045409 (2001)
I. Matrane, E. Elkoraychy, K. Sbiaai, M. Mazroui, Y. Boughaleb, Phys. Status Solidi B 253, 875 (2016)
K. Sbiaai, Y. Boughaleb, M. Mazroui, A. Kara, Surf. Interface Anal. 45, 1702 (2013)
K. Sbiaai, A. Eddiai, Y. Boughaleb, A. Hajjaji, M. Mazroui, A. Kara, Opt. Mater. 36, 42 (2014)
S.M. Foiles, Surf. Sci. 191, 329 (1987)
S.C. Wang, G. Ehrlich, Surf. Sci. 239, 301 (1990)
C.L. Liu, J.B. Adams, Surf. Sci. 268, 73 (1992)
C.M. Chang, C.M. Wei, S.P. Chen, Phys. Rev. B 54, 17083 (1996)
M.S. Daw, M.I. Baskes, Phys. Rev. B 29, 6443 (1984)
S.M. Foiles, M.I. Baskes, M.S. Daw, Phys. Rev. B 33, 7983 (1986)
P. Hohenberg, W. Kohn, Phys. Rev. B 136, 864 (1964)
W. Kohn, L.J. Sham, Phys. Rev. A 140, 1133 (1965)
A.F. Voter, S.P. Chen, in Characterization of Defects in Materials, edited by R.W. Siegel, R. Sinclair, J.R. Weertman, MRS Symposia Proceedings No. 82 (Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, 1987) p. 175
C.L. Liu, J.M. Cohen, J.B. Adams, A.F. Voter, Surf. Sci. 253, 334 (1991)
A. Kotri, E. El koraychy, M. Mazroui, Y. Boughaleb, Surf. Interface Anal. 49, 705 (2017)
LAMMPS Users Manual 30 (Sandia National Laboratories, Oct 2014) 2
R. Fletcher, A FORTRAN Subroutine for Minimization by the Method of Conjugate Gradients (1972) AERE--R7073
N. Levanov, V.S. Stepanyuk, W. Hergert, O.S. Trushin, K. Kokko, Surf. Sci. 400, 54 (1998)
L. Ventelon, F. Willaime, J. Computer-Aided Mater. Des. 14, 85 (2007)
E. Elkoraychy, K. Sbiaai, M. Mazroui, Y. Boughaleb, R. Ferrando, Surf. Sci. 635, 64 (2015)
N.I. Papanicolaou, G.A. Evangelakis, G.C. Kallinteris, Comput. Mater. Sci. 10, 105 (1998)
G.A. Evangelakis, G.C. Kallinteris, N.I. Papanicoloau, Surf. Sci. 394, 185 (1997)
K. Morgenstern, K.F. Braun, K.H. Rieder, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 056102 (2004)
K. Morgenstern, K.L. Rieder, New J. Phys. 7, 139 (2005)
S.S. Hayat, M.A. Ortigoza, M.A. Choudhry, T.S. Rahman, Phys. Rev. B 82, 085405 (2010)
A. Karim, PhD Thesis, Kansas State University (2006)
Z. Rehman, S.S. Hayat, Surf. Rev. Lett. 22, 1550067 (2015)
S.I. Shah, G. Nandipati, A. Karim, T.S. Rahman, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 28, 025001 (2016)
T.T. Tsong, in Atom-probe Field Ion Microscopy (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990) pp. 202--265
S.C. Wang, G. Ehrlich, Surf. Sci. 239, 301 (1990)
C.L. Chen, T.T. Tsong, Phys. Rev. B 41, 12403 (1990)
C.M. Chang, C.M. Wei, S.P. Chen, Phys. Rev. B 54, 17083 (1996)
C.L. Liu, J.B. Adams, Surf. Sci. 268, 73 (1992)
C.M. Chang, C.M. Wei, S.P. Chen, Surf. Sci. 465, 65 (2000)
A. Boris, C. Alberto, REVCIUNI 10, 42 (2006)
S.S. Hayat, Z. Rehman, Z.A. Shah, Mod. Phys. Lett. B 31, 1750316 (2017)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kotri, A., El koraychy, E., Mazroui, M. et al. Hetero-diffusion of small clusters on Ag(111) surface. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 133, 270 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-12088-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-12088-8