When are thin films of metals metallic? Part III

Abstract A large amount of experimental information has indicated that very thin films of metallic elements can exhibit nonmetallic behavior, even on metal substrates. These films undergo a gradual nonmetal to metal transition with increasing film density or thickness. The nonmetallic behavior can be related to electron localization due to strong electron-electron correlation in low dimensional systems, as indicated by the strong enhancement of electron effective mass. The evolution in the electronic structure associated with the nonmetal to metal transition bears a striking resemblance to the behavior observed for free metal clusters. Part I [1], outlined the general concepts of a nonmetal…