On the stability of electrochemically generated nanoclusters - A computer simulation

Abstract

The fabrication of small metal cluster with a scanning tunneling microscope in an electrochemical invironment has been simulated with a computer. (The picture shows the copper-covered tip of the scanning tunneling microscope above the Au(111) surface, which is covered by copper.) In the case of copper deposition on Au(111), Cu-Au clusters were formed that are more stable than pure copper. The simulations suggest that the formation of stable clusters by this method can only succeed if the deposition metal and the substrate form a stable alloy.