Neutron scattering investigations of the dynamics of thin films adsorbed on solid surfaces

Abstract

While not commonly thought of as surface sensitive probes, high-resolution inelastic and quasielastic neutron scattering (INS) techniques can be used to investigate the dynamical properties of films adsorbed on solid surfaces. These studies are possible because the adsorption takes place on samples which exhibit a large surface-to-volume ratio. By combining dynamical measurements with data from structural, thermodynamic and computer simulation studies it is then possible to develop a comprehensive picture of the microscopic properties of an adsorbed film system. In order to illustrate the power of employing INS techniques we will discuss the continuous melting of monolayer ethylene and the layer-by-layer melting of multilayer argon films on the basal plane of graphite and the rotational tunneling of methane films on the MgO(100) surface