Unified kinetic and thermodynamic treatment of a two-dimensional gas-liquid phase transition: CH_{4} on Ag(110)

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Abstract
Using time-resolved electron-energy-loss spectroscopy coupled with a dual-molecular-beam technique, we have detected and characterized a two-dimensional methane gas-liquid phase transition on a clean Ag(110) surface. Quasiequilibrium measurements of both adsorption isobars and desorption isotherms are presented. These data are simultaneously analyzed using a simple statistical thermodynamic model in which the adsorbed-phase chemical potential is expressed by a virial expansion. The applicability of the quasiequilibrium assumption in treating coverage-dependent desorption data is strongly supported by our results.