Surface Science Investigations of Icy Mantle Growth on Interstellar Dust Grains in Cooling Environments

Experimental measurements on the thermal and non-thermal behaviour of water and other simple molecules, including organic compounds such as methanol and benzene, on model interstellar dust grain surfaces and on solid water surfaces using surface science techniques and methodologies are reviewed. A simple qualitative model of the early stages mantle growth arising from a synthesis of the results of such investigations from our own laboratory and others is presented.