Aggregation Mechanism of Ag Atoms Deposited on Liquid Surfaces

Abstract

We study the aggregation of silver (Ag) atoms deposited on silicone oil surfaces. It is observed that the apparent Ag coverage of the total area, ρ, increases linearly with the nominal film thickness h for h < 0.9 nm and its slope k decreases clearly as the deposition flux f increases. Our atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation shows that the average thickness of the atomic aggregates first increases with f , and then approaches a saturation value. Then, the aggregation mechanism of Ag atoms is presented.