Effect of the surface on the internal structure of CdSe crystal lattice based on molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract

The results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of CdSe crystals terminated by low-index atomic planes, (100), (110) and (111), are presented. The effect of the crystal termination on the atomic arrangement (interatomic distances) at the surface and underneath the surface is examined. It is shown that the crystal lattice is distorted in lateral and normal directions to the depth of up to about 2 nm from the surface. The exact characteristic of the changes of interatomic distances is specific to the type of the atomic plane terminating the crystal lattice. At some surfaces, the very last monoatomic layer loses the long-range ordering and becomes quasi amorphous. The atoms group into randomly distributed pairs or short linear groups.

Graphical abstract

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