Behavior and properties of single atoms on metal surfaces

Abstract A fundamental understanding of surface phenomena such as surface transport processes, nucleation and growth of crystals, chemisorption and physisorption, surface reactivity, etc. requires a knowledge of the behavior of single atoms on solid surface.1–3 The behavior is determined by the electronic structure of both the singie atoms and the substrate surface. This review will focus on some properties and interactions of single atoms on well-defined surfaces that recently have become accessible to experimentation.