ISSN:
1551-2916
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
Notes:
Structures and energetics of various, plausible realizations of the Al2O3(0001)/Cu(111) interface have been studied by density-functional theory. The oxygen-terminated interface is found to be relatively strong with a work of separation (Wsep) of 7.03 J/m2. For hydrogen-rich (e.g., moist) conditions, we have determined that the interface accommodates about 1/3 of a monolayer of hydrogen. This lowers Wsep to 4.72 J/m2, which is, however, greater than the corresponding value for bulk copper, which implies that fracture in such a system occurs in the copper region, consistent with fracture toughness experiments. We also have studied the initial stages of copper and aluminum growth on the hydrogen-stabilized oxygen-terminated Al2O3(0001) surface. Although a monolayer of aluminum already completely dissociates the interfacial O-H group, a monolayer of copper leaves it intact. If, for a thick copper film, such a full hydrogen layer were maintained, the resulting metastable interface would be very weak, with Wsep= 0.63 J/m2.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.2003.tb03359.x
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