Rigorous Results on Surface Diffusion Coefficients Near a First-Order Phase Transition

Abstract

We present a microscopic statistical–mechanical approach from which the chemical surface diffusion coefficient can be obtained in the local equilibrium limit, assuming that the system of a finite size undergoes a first-order phase transition between two phases. We also show the behavior of the jump diffusion coefficient and thermodynamic factor near such a transition. Explicit formulas for the dependences of these quantities on the chemical potential, coverage, and size of the system are presented. The general results are applied to a simple two-dimensional lattice model on a regular triangular lattice.