I n s i t u investigation of the mobility of small gold clusters on cleaved MgO surfaces

Abstract

The mobility of small clusters of gold (≃10Å in diameter) on electron‐beam‐cleaved MgO surfaces was studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy under controlled vacuum (10⁻⁷ Pa range) and temperature conditions. During the first 10 min following a deposition at room temperature, over 10% of the crystallites moved over short distances (≃20Å) discontinuously, with a velocity greater than 150 Å/sec. 80% of the mobility events were characterized by the avoidance of proximity of other crystallites, and this was tentatively explained as the result of repulsive elastic forces between the interacting crystallites.