Effect of tensile strain on adatom diffusion on Cu(1 1 1) surface

The dependence of the adatom diffusion on the strained (1 1 1) surface of Cu metal was investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. It is found that the diffusion coefficient of the Cu adatom on Cu surface decreases with increasing tensile strain at different temperatures where we studied. On the strained surface, the diffusion coefficient still exhibits approximately Arrhenius behavior. The main diffusion is the hopping diffusion. While, with the temperature or the tensile strain raised further, the exchange diffusion appears. And its frequency will increase with these values.