3: Extensive and thorough
This is one of the better and more complete books on surface science. The book devotes seperate chapters to the various aspects of surfaces, such as structure, dynamics, thermodynamics, reactions at surfaces, etc... The chemistry and physics of surfaces are covered in detail, and many topics are explained in detail; i.e. the difference between chemisorption and physiosorption. The various properties of surfaces (work function, electron affinity, reconstructions) are explained and literature data is provided through extensive use of tables, charts and figures. This book would serve as a good textbook for a class on the same topic. This book would also serve as a great reference book. The end of each chapter contains an extensive list of references. The book includes a large list of acronyms commonly used in surface science. There are also extensive lists of experimental data of surfaces; an example is the list of known reconstructions for both bare surfaces and surfaces terminated with different molecules.
There are four major limitations to this text. First, it covers the science of surfaces from a non-biological point of view. Second, there is no dedicated chapter on techniques used for analyzing surfaces. Instead, the different techniques are described in the sections that deal with related properties. For example, the work function, electron affinity, and techniques used to determine these properties are all described in the chapter on electrical properties. Third, this book was printed in 1994, making it somewhat dated, especially in a field that is growing as rapidly as surface science. Last, there is very little discussion of how computer modeling, specifically quantum mechanical calculations, can be used to study surfaces. This last drawback is partially due to the book being published in 1994, when quantum calculations on surfaces was still somewhat rare in the scientific literature.
In all, I would not buy this book, but would wait for a newer edition.
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