Adsorption of atomic, molecular, and cluster particles on metal oxides

Adsorption of atomic, molecular, and cluster particles on metal oxides 

Atoms of metals are more interesting tiian hydrogen atoms, because they can form not only dimers Ag2, but also particles with larger number of atoms. What are the electric properties of these particles on surfaces of solids The answer to this question can be most easily obtained by using a semiconductor sensor which plays simultaneously the role of a sorbent target and is used as a detector of silver adatoms. The initial concentration of silver adatoms must be sufficiently small, so that growth of multiatomic aggregates of silver particles (clusters) could be traced by variation of an electric conductivity in time (after atomic beam was terminated), provided the assumption of small electric activity of clusters on a semiconductor surface [42] compared to that of atomic particles is true. 

The experiments were conducted in a cell (Fig. 4.19) at residual gas pressure of less then 10 Torr kept constant during the measurements. The surface coverage in these experiments was only lO - 10 %. In this case, after the atomic beam was terminated, relaxation of electric conductivity has not been observed even at elevated temperatures (100 -180 C), when surface mobility of adatoms increased considerably. At larger coverages of the target surface with adatoms, or at higher surface temperatures electric conductivity relaxed to its initial value (before 

The above rate equations confirm the suggested explanation of dynamics of silver particles on the surface of zinc oxide. They account for their relatively fast migration and recombination, as well as formation of larger particles (clusters) not interacting with electronic subsystem of the semiconductor. Note, however, that at longer time intervals, the appearance of a new phase (formation of silver crystals on the surface) results in phase interactions, which are accompanied by the appearance of potential jumps influencing the electronic subsystem of a zinc oxide film. Such an interaction also modifies the adsorption capability of the areas of zinc oxide surface in the vicinity of electrodes [43]. 

The results of these experiments also confirm the conclusions made in the above paper dealing with the mechanism of aggregation. These conditions were based on the data obtained using the method of semiconductor sensors. However, the technique used in [42] was seemingly more sensitive, because it enabled observation of elementary surface processes, such as the appearance of centres of condensation of metal atoms on atomic scale. 

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