Evidence of translations and rotations of gold crystallites vacuum deposited on (111) MgO surfaces at room temperature

Abstract

The mobility behaviour at room temperature of small crystallites of gold on freshly electron-beam-cleaved (111) MgO surfaces has been studied. The experi ments were carried out in-situ in a transmission electron microscope under ultra high vacuum conditions. Both translational and rotational movements of crystallites were observed. The experiments lead to the conclusion that non-epitaxy is a necessary condition for particle mobility at low temperatures.