Abstract
The surface of quasi-hexagonal reconstructed Au(100) is used as the template for monolayer pentacene (PEN) self-assembly. The system is characterized by means of scanning tunneling microscopy at room temperature and under an ultra-high vacuum. A new modulated pattern of molecules with long molecular axes (MA) arranged along hex stripes is found. The characteristic features of the hex reconstruction are preserved herein. The assembly with MA across the hex rows leads to an unmodulated structure, where the molecular layer does not recreate the buckled hex phase. The presence of the molecules partly lifts the reconstruction—i.e., the gold hex phase is transformed into a phase. The arrangement of PEN on the gold structure is the same as that of the surrounding molecular domain on the reconstructed surface. The apparent height difference between phases allows for the distinction of the state of the underlying gold surface.
Highlights
Nowadays, interfaces between organic molecules and metal surfaces are attracting a lot of attention in surface science
Utilizing the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we studied the structural properties of 1 ML of PEN deposited on the hex Au(100) surface at room temperature (RT)
The PEN arrangements differ by the orientation of molecular axes (MA) with respect to hex stripes
Summary
Interfaces between organic molecules and metal surfaces are attracting a lot of attention in surface science. In the case of complicated surface atomic arrangements, such as those observed in (100) plane of gold, the determination of the structural properties of a metal–organic interface is still challenging [14,15,16]. The real size of the unit cell is much bigger and determined to be c(28 × 48) [20] It was shown by scanning tunneling microscope (STM) that the reconstruction exhibits long-range modulation and consists of atomic rows aligned along the directions whose periodicity (along the row) is N·a (a = 2.88 Å is the surface lattice constant of the unreconstructed (100) plane of gold). For simplified unit cells across the rows, ridges and the valleys are formed, with a periodicity of 5a (5·2.88 Å = 14.4 Å) above the top and hollow positions, respectively
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