Step-doubling at Vicinal Ni(111) Surfaces Investigated with a Curved Crystal
- Centro de Fisica de Materiales CSIC/UPV-EHU-Materials Physics Center, San Sebastian (Spain); Donostia International Physics Centre, San Sebastian (Spain)
- Univ. del Pais Vasco, San Sebastian (Spain)
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- CSIC-Univ. de Zaragoza, Zaragoza (Spain)
- Donostia International Physics Centre, San Sebastian (Spain); Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao (Spain)
- Centro de Fisica de Materiales CSIC/UPV-EHU-Materials Physics Center, San Sebastian (Spain)
- Centro de Fisica de Materiales CSIC/UPV-EHU-Materials Physics Center, San Sebastian (Spain); Univ. del Pais, San Sebastian (Spain); Donostia International Physics Centre, San Sebastian (Spain)
Here, vicinal surfaces may undergo structural transformations as a function of temperature or in the presence of adsorbates. Step-doubling, in which monatomic steps pair up forming double-atom high staircases, is the simplest example. Here we investigate the case of Ni(111) using a curved crystal surface, which allows us to explore the occurrence of step-doubling as a function of temperature and vicinal plane (miscut α and step type). We find a striking A-type ({100}-like microfacets) versus B-type ({111}-like) asymmetry towards step-doubling. The terrace-width distribution analysis performed from Scanning Tunneling Microscopy data points to elastic step interactions overcoming entropic effects at very small miscut α in A-type vicinals, as compared to B-type steps. For A-type vicinals, we elaborate the temperature/miscut phase diagram, on which we establish a critical miscut αc = 9.3° for step-doubling to take place.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012704
- OSTI ID:
- 1434767
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-203488-2018-JAAM; TRN: US1802961
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Vol. 121, Issue 7; ISSN 1932-7447
- Publisher:
- American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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