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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
11:54
Ligand-Mediated Nucleation and Growth of Palladium Metal Nanoparticles
Published on: June 25, 2018
10.9K
How "hot precursors" modify island nucleation: a rate-equation model
Josue R Morales-Cifuentes1, T L Einstein1, A Pimpinelli2
1Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA and CMTC, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|December 27, 2014
Summary
We developed a new model for island nucleation and growth, incorporating monomer transient mobility. This model accurately predicts island density scaling with deposition rate in experiments.
Area of Science:
- Surface science
- Materials science
- Thin film deposition
Background:
- Island nucleation and growth are fundamental processes in thin film formation.
- Understanding monomer dynamics, especially transient mobility, is crucial for controlling film morphology.
- Existing models often simplify monomer thermalization, limiting their applicability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel island nucleation and growth model.
- To explicitly include transient (ballistic) monomer mobility before thermalization.
- To investigate the impact of monomer thermalization on island density scaling.
Main Methods:
- Development of a theoretical model incorporating ballistic monomer mobility.
- Analysis of limiting regimes for fast (diffusive) and slow (ballistic) thermalization.
- Exact computation of scaling exponents and activation energies in complex regimes.
Main Results:
- Island density (N) follows scaling N∝F(α) in limiting thermalization regimes.
- A rich, complex behavior with distinct scaling regimes emerges in intermediate thermalization.
- The model provides an excellent fit to experimental data for organic-molecule deposition (N(F,T)).
Conclusions:
- The proposed model accurately captures island nucleation and growth dynamics.
- Transient monomer mobility significantly influences island density scaling.
- The model's success with organic-molecule deposition highlights its broad applicability.
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