Formation of a quasicrystalline Pb monolayer on the ten-fold surface of the decagonal Al-Ni-Co quasicrystal
arXiv:0803.3581 · doi:10.1016/j.susc.2008.05.029
Abstract
Lead has been deposited on the ten-fold surface of decagonal Al72Ni11Co17 to form an epitaxial quasicrystalline single-element monolayer. The overlayer grows through nucleation of nanometer-sized irregular islands and the coverage saturates at 1 ML. The overlayer is well-ordered quasiperiodically as evidenced by LEED and Fourier transforms of STM images. Annealing the film to 600 K improves the structural quality, but causes the evaporation of some material such that the film develops pores. Electronic structure measurements using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy indicate that the chemical interaction of the Pb atoms with the substrate is weak.
12 pages, 5 figures