Simple views on surface stress and surface energy concepts

Pierre Müller, Andres Saùl and Frédéric Leroy

Abstract

Some aspects of the thermodynamics and mechanics of solid surfaces, in particular with respect to surface stress and surface energy, are reviewed. The purpose is to enlighten the deep differences between these two physical quantities. We consider successively the case of atomic flat surfaces and the case of vicinal surfaces characterized by surface stress discontinuities. Finally, experimental examples, concerning Si surfaces, are described