Iwan N. Stranski

The Sixth European Conference of Crystal Growth, ECCG6 and the Second European School of Crystal Growth, ESCG2 are dedicated to the famous scholar in crystal growth Iwan N. Stranski. Professor Stranski played a crucial role in the last century in setting up the theoretical fundamentals of nucleation and crystal growth phenomena.

1897 - 1979
 

In the 1920s, Iwan N. Stranski along with Walther Kossel, introduced one of the
fundamental physical concepts in crystal growth, “the half-crystal position” or kink
site, implemented later in the classical Kossel–Stranski model of the crystal structure.
In 1938 Stranski and Krastanow discovered the famous Stranski–Krastanow
growth mode of epitaxial layers. In 1934 Stranski and Kaischew formulated the theory
of mean separation work, revealing thereby the identity of the thermodynamic
and kinetic approaches to Gibbs’s problem of the equilibrium of small phases. In the
same year they published the first kinetic treatment of the nucleation rate of crystals,
droplets, and bubbles. On that background, Stranski and Kaischew developed in
great detail fundamental aspects of nucleation theory, equilibrium shape of crystals,
homo- and heteroepitaxial growth of thin atomic layers, and electrocrystallization.

R. Kaischew, I. Stranski, L. Krastanov

1975 Sofia

Institute of Physical Chemistry, BAS