J. Flad et al., CHEMICAL STUDIES ON SILVER CLUSTER NUCLEA TION ON (100)-AGBR SURFACES, Journal of Information Recording Materials, 20(5), 1993, pp. 417-428
We have studied the first steps of a photolytic cluster nucleation on
a (100)-AgBr-surface using quantum chemical model calculations. Accord
ing to our calculations the negative kink is the most favourable site
for the alternating adsorption of an interstitial silver ion and trapp
ing of a photo-electron. The dependence of the electron affinity on th
e cluster size (see Fig. 2) explains why nucleation does not start on
many sites simultaneously. According to our results sensitization can
not be achieved by single silver sulfide molecules (with sulfur substi
tuting a bromide ion). A minimum size of the Ag2S clusters is probably
necessary to form sensitivity centers.