Frazzled monatomic step

In the results obtained from an analysis of surface diffusion between steps (Fleischmann and Thirsk, 1960 Damjanovic and Bockris, 1963), the model is a simple one. The properties of steps (e.g., their movement and eventual formation of spirals) will be discussed in Section 7.15. Of course, they are not really simple straight edges. Scanning tunneling microscopy has made it possible to obtain images of the steps. A real monatomic step is shown in Fig. 7.139 and is seen to be quite frazzled. 

Fig. 7.139. In situ STM image showing the frazzled appearance of a monatomic step on Aa(111) substrate. System Ag(111)/10 MCuS04 + 5x1(T2 M H2S04 at E= 60 mV vs. SCE and T = 298 K. (Reprinted from E. Budevski, G. Staikov, and W. J. Lorenz, Electrochemical Phase Formation and Growth, p. 22, copyright 1996John Wiley Sons. Reproduced by permission of John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Figure 2.10 In situ STM image showing the frazzled appearance of a monatomic step on Ag(lll) substrate 2.22). SystemAg(lll)/10 M CuS04 + 5 x lO M H2SO4at =60 mVvs. SCEandT=298 K. Reprinted from Surface Science Letters, Vol. 327, M. Dietterle, T. Will, D.M. Kolb, Step dynamics at the Ag(lll)-electrolyte interface, p. L495,1995, with kind permission of Elsevier Science.

Recently, monatomic steps, which look frazzled in STM images, were observed by several authors [2.19-2.22]. An example for a monatomic step on Ag(lll) is shown in Fig. 2.10. This phenomenon was attributed to a mobility of kink sites on step edges. 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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