KINETICS OF DISSOLUTION OF BEADED FILMS INTO SINGLE-CRYSTAL

General solutions for the kinetics of dissolution of continuous and beaded films (BF) into a single crystalline substrate are given. Not only the role of surface and bulk diffusion but the possible reaction-controlled processes are also analyzed taking into account interface reactions at the bead/adsorbed gas and adsorbed gas/substrate surfaces. It is shown that the rate of the dissolution of BF depends also on its morphology. As compared to the case of a continuous thin film, a slower rate of dissolution can be observed in diffusion-interacting ensembles with high density of islands (i.e. when the distance between the particles is less than the average diffusion length of adatoms on the surface) and the dissolution can be accomplished with surface Ostwald ripening of the particles as well. With decreasing densities the rate of the dissolution of BF decreases although each of the isolated particles dissolves faster. Measuring the kinetics of the dissolution of thin films we can determine both the surface or bulk diffusion and kinetic coefficients as well.