Magic Numbers for Bimetallic Clusters

Abstract

An exact description of the distribution of 2D bimetallic clusters deposited on a square substrate has been obtained via an exact inventory algorithm. We show that several features of the monometallic distribution can be altered by the presence of a second species within the clusters. The diagram of ground-state morphologies of such clusters is built as a function of the chemical interactions between both components. As a consequence, the maxima in the cluster size distribution that indicate the magic numbers can be smoothened or shifted during co-deposition as a function of the composition of the two-component phase.