Monte Carlo study of reversible growth of clusters on a surface

The effect of binding energy on the growth of clusters on a two-dimensional square lattice was studied by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicate that for binding energies higher than $0.5\mathrm{kT}$, clusters grow relative to the initial random distribution, while for binding energies lower than $0.5\mathrm{kT}$, clusters decompose. It was also found that at low binding energies the equilibrium percentage of atoms that are bound in clusters is linearly dependent on the binding energy. The cluster density behaved in a similar manner. This similarity reflects the fact that at low binding energies the growth proceeds mainly by the formation of new clusters rather than by an increase in the size of existing ones.