Self-consistent rate theory for submonolayer surface growth of multicomponent systems

Abstract

The self-consistent rate theory for surface growth in the submonolayer regime is generalized from mono-to multi-component systems, which are formed by codeposition of different types of atoms or molecules. As a new feature, the theory requires the introduction of pair density distributions to enable a symmetric treatment of reactions among different species. The approach is explicitly developed for binary systems and tested against kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. Using a reduced set of rate equations, only a few differential equations need to be solved to obtain good quantitative predictions for island and adatom densities, as well as densities of unstable clusters.

Growth kinetics of racemic heptahelicene-2-carboxylic acid nanowires on calcite (104)

“…In this calculation, the capture numbers and decay rates follow from a solution of a diffusion equation for the monomers with appropriate boundary conditions, in which the cluster densities from the rate equations enter collectively as an effective absorption length. 34,35 However, as recently shown by some of the authors, 38 a generalization of this self-consistent theory to systems with different types of components, as reflected in the π-π and H-bonded dimers in the situation considered here, requires rather elaborate treatments involving pair-distribution functions. Moreover, the one-dimensional chain-structure of the islands needs to be taken into account when calculating the diffusion field of the ad-molecules around the chains.…”