H. Hovel et al., CRYSTALLINE-STRUCTURE AND ORIENTATION OF GOLD CLUSTERS GROWN IN PREFORMED NANOMETER-SIZED PITS, Applied surface science, 115(2), 1997, pp. 124-127
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Physics, Condensed Matter","Chemistry Physical","Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Gold clusters were produced by condensing evaporated gold in nanometer
-sized preformed pits on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic grap
hite (HOPG), The height of the clusters was 6.7 +/- 0.7 nm as measured
with scanning tunneling microscopy in ultrahigh vacuum, the lateral w
idth was 10.1 +/- 1.9 nm as determined with transmission electron micr
oscopy (TEM). Using TEM for electron diffraction, we obtained informat
ion on the crystalline structure of the clusters. The intensity of the
observed diffraction rings shows the preferential orientation of the
clusters with the (ii I) plane of the gold lattice parallel to the (00
01) surface of HOPG. This was compared to the diffraction pattern of g
old clusters produced in the gas phase by inert-gas evaporation and de
posited on a flat HOPG surface at room temperature as complete units w
hich showed no preferential orientation. The directional alignment in
the surface plane as it is described in the literature for larger gold
crystallites grown on a flat HOPG surface is not observed for the nan
ometer-sized clusters grown in pits.