Distortion of a Substrate Induced by Adsorption at Solid-Liquid Interfaces

Employing a generalized lattice gas theory and the Brownian dynamics simulation, we show that the presence of an adsorbate may induce a distortive transition in the underlying substrate. The transition takes place if we have a strong pinning of the adsorbate and the lateral interaction strong enough to compete with the cohesive energy of the substrate. The threshold for the transition is determined by an interplay of the elastic energies arising from the atomic displacements of both subsystems. The resulting lattice configuration appears as a compromise between the symmetry of the clean substrate and the symmetry of the close packed adsorbate.