The distribution of dissolved substitutional atoms on the surface of a crystal-solvent (Q2475245)

Surface effects are usually not taken into account in calculations of solubility of substitutional impurities in crystals, neglecting their contribution as compared to the volumetric one. However, this approach is not always adequate. For example, one must know the concentration composition of the surface and how it changes with temperature in order to calculate the optical and adsorption properties of the crystal and to describe surface diffusion. A solution to this problem can be obtained as a limiting case of calculation of solubility of substitutional atoms in a film for unlimited increase in the number of its layers.