Formation of monolayer graphite at the WB2(0001) surface

The formation of monolayer graphite on the WB2(0001) surface has been inves tigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). STM observation shows that two kinds of terrace exist, which correspond to those with planar and pucke red boron in the third layer. Monolayer graphite (MG) was formed on the WB2 (0001) surface, but the two surface regions exhibit different abilities for MG formation. The ab initio cluster calculations suggest that MG prefers t o be formed on the terrace with puckered boron in the third layer. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.