Surface ternary alloys of(Cu,Au)/Ni(110)

The initial stages and trends in the process of surface alloy formation for copper and gold deposited on an Ni(110) substrate have been investigated b y means of a simple theoretical modeling approach. The Bozzolo-Ferrante-Smi th (BFS) method for alloys is used to compute the energetics of low-coverag e surface alloys. Basic features observed in BFS modeling of (Cu,Au)/Ni(110 ) surface alloy formation include Cu-Au chains in the surface as well as st ructure characteristic of the Au/Ni(110) and Cu/Ni(110) cases. (C) 2000 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.