Equilibrium and kinetics in the (111) surface of Cu-Ag alloys: Comparison between mean-field and Monte Carlo calculations

In this paper we study the relationship between equilibrium and kinetics in Cu-Ag (111). We investigate the kinetics of segregation in a silver--dilute-copper sample and the dissolution kinetics of one Ag monolayer deposited on Cu(111). We compare results obtained using mean-field and Monte Carlo methods and relate them to the equilibrium isotherm by means of a local-equilibrium concept. We find good agreement with available experimental results on segregation kinetics and on dissolution kinetics when the Monte Carlo simulation is used.