Silver deposition on oil - cluster nucleation, growth and aggregation on aliquid surface

Experimental results for a new type of growth system are presented, namely for the vapor phase deposition of metal on a liquid surface. Large, ramifie d silver aggregates are formed after deposition of silver atoms on silicone oil surfaces. Initially, the deposited metal forms compact but thin disk-s haped clusters on the liquid surface. The essential physics during depositi on can be described by nucleation theory similar to the one used for growth of a solid on a solid surface. The much slower cluster processes following the deposition are observed in real time. The disk-shaped clusters perform Brownian motion and adhere upon impact so that finally ramified cluster ag gregates result. The processes dominating the growth of this system are a r ealization of cluster-cluster aggregation models, which lead to fractals wi th a characteristic Hausdorff dimension. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.