Stable Au-C bonds to the substrate for fullerene-based nanostructures

0476229 - FZÚ 2018 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Chutora, Taras - López, Roso Redondo Jesús R. - De La Torre Cerdeño, Bruno - Švec, Martin - Jelínek, Pavel - Vázquez, Héctor
Stable Au-C bonds to the substrate for fullerene-based nanostructures.
Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology. Roč. 8, č. 1 (2017), s. 1073-1079. ISSN 2190-4286. E-ISSN 2190-4286
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-19672S
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : Au-C bonds * density functional theory (DFT) * fullerenes * scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) * sputtering
OECD category: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.)
Impact factor: 2.968, year: 2017

We report on the formation of fullerene-derived nanostructures on Au(111) at room temperature and under UHV conditions. After low-energy ion sputtering of fullerene films deposited on Au(111), bright spots appear at the herringbone corner sites when measured using a scanning tunneling microscope. These features are stable at room temperature against diffusion on the surface. We carry out DFT calculations of fullerene molecules having one missing carbon atom to simulate the vacancies in the molecules resulting from the sputtering process. These modified fullerenes have an adsorption energy on the Au(111) surface that is 1.6 eV higher than that of C60 molecules. This increased binding energy arises from the saturation by the Au surface of the bonds around the molecular vacancy defect. We therefore interpret the observed features as adsorbed fullerene-derived molecules with C vacancies. This provides a pathway for the formation of fullerene-based nanostructures on Au at room temperature.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0272783