U.S.-Germany Cooperative Research: Growth and Morphology in a Model Thin Film System

该奖项支持爱荷华州立大学的Patricia Thiel教授、Luke Chang博士和一名研究生与德国乌尔姆大学的R.J&gt；rgen Behm教授和其他人在表面化学研究方面进行合作。这两个小组都在积极开展金属薄膜生长和结构的研究。他们一起选择研究一种特殊的金属对金属体系的形态，以及实现这种形态的机制。具体地说，他们将使用扫描隧道显微镜(STM)来阐明由Rh在银上(Rh在Ag(100)上)组成的体系的形态。这些金属互不相容，似乎不会形成合金，但当它们结合在一起时，会形成一种由Ag-Rh-Ag组成的多层三明治，从而表现出非常不寻常的行为。这两个研究小组为这项复杂的研究带来了互补的专业知识：美国小组提供特定金属系统的专业知识，德国小组提供实验设施和在金属STM方面的成熟经验。固体材料薄膜用于从耐腐蚀涂层到磁记录设备的各种应用中。薄膜的特性在决定其物理性质以及在特定应用中的性能方面是最重要的是它的形态。在这次合作中提出的研究旨在了解控制薄膜形态的因素，特别是在涉及可能形成合金或三明治的材料混合物的复杂情况下。

This award supports Professor Patricia Thiel, Dr. Luke Chang and a graduate student from Iowa State University to collaborate in surface chemistry research with Professor R. J>rgen Behm and others of the University of Ulm, Germany. Both groups are actively pursuing research on metal film growth and structure. Together, they have chosen to study the morphology of a particular metal-on- metal system, and the mechanisms by which that morphology is achieved. Specifically, they will use Scanning Tunneling microscopy (STM) to elucidate the morphology of a system composed of Rhodium on Silver (Rh on Ag(100)). These metals are immiscible and do not appear to form an alloy, but when combined they exhibit very unusual behavior by forming a multi-layer sandwich of Ag-Rh-Ag. The two research groups bring complementary expertise to this complex study: the U.S. group contributes expertise in the particular metal system and the German group offers experimental facilities and well-established experience with STM of metals. Films of solid materials are used in applications which range from corrosion-resistant coatings to magnetic recording devices. The characteristic of a film that is most important in determining its physical properties and thus its performance in a given application is its morphology. The research proposed in this collaboration is directed at understanding the factors which control film morphology, particularly in the complicated case where there is a mixture of materials involved which may form an alloy or a sandwich.