Ultrathin Pt films on Ni(111): Structure determined by surface x-ray diffraction

Abstract

The growth of platinum on a nickel (111) single crystal under ultrahigh vacuum conditions was studied using surface x-ray diffraction on the ID03 beamline of the ESRF. Film thickness ranged from one to eight monoatomic layers (ML). Specular reflectivity was used to determine the growth mode and vertical lattice parameter of the Pt film. A two-dimensional (2D) growth up to 1 ML followed by more 3D growth was found. A small expansion of the Pt vertical lattice parameter was found. The Pt in-plane lattice parameter was measured. Its relaxation was found to be very slow, with a residual contraction of 2.3% in an 8-ML-thick film (with respect to bulk Pt). A Ni crystal truncation rod measured before and after growing 1 ML of Pt revealed the presence of a small amount of pseudomorphic Pt, adsorbed on both fcc and hcp sites. The stacking of the (111) Pt planes was investigated by measuring stacking-sensitive Pt diffraction rods. A strong tendency to stacking reversal was found at room temperature, with an amount of ``reversed'' Pt about ten times higher than the amount of Pt with the same stacking as the Ni. An eight-layer Ni film on Pt(111) was also studied for comparison.