1. Differential reactivity of alkanethiols with Si(111)–Au 2D surface alloys
- Author
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Jaap Kautz, S. J. van der Molen, Rudolf M. Tromp, and V.A.E.C. Janssen
- Subjects
Diffraction ,Inert ,Surface (mathematics) ,Chemistry ,Alloy ,Analytical chemistry ,Disproportionation ,Surfaces and Interfaces ,engineering.material ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films ,law.invention ,Crystallography ,law ,Phase (matter) ,Materials Chemistry ,engineering ,Reactivity (chemistry) ,Electron microscope - Abstract
We study the differential reactivity of alkanethiols with submonolayers of Au on Si(111), where the surface is a mixture of the Au-rich 3 × 3 structure and the Au-poor 5 × 2 structure. We expose these binary 2D alloy samples to alkanethiols, while monitoring the induced spatial and structural transformations in real time using a low energy electron microscope (LEEM). Energy-dependent diffraction measurements show that, surprisingly, there is no alkanethiol growth on the Au submonolayers. Instead, S–Si interactions induce a disproportionation of the 5 × 2 structure into the unexpectedly inert 3 × 3 phase and a Au-depleted phase. We show how this process can be used to reduce the dimensionality of a 2D electron system to 1D.
- Published
- 2015
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