A new Materials Research Group is established to investigate surface kinetic processes such as adsorbate diffusion, faceting, crystal growth, and etching by explicitly addressing the role of surface steps in these processes. The experimental techniques being utilized include scanning tunnelling microscopy, surface infrared absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction, and low energy electron microscopy. Theory being applied includes molecular dynamics and energy minimization with semi-empirical potentials, Monte Carlo simulation, dynamic modeling of step motion and reaction rate theory. Simple atomic adsorbates such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are being studied on vicinal nickel (100) and silver (110) single crystal surfaces. The research is organized in three integrated general areas: equilibrium structure and energies of surfaces, adsorbate- and self-diffusion on surfaces, and dynamics of step motion.
