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Step-doubling at Vicinal Ni(111) Surfaces Investigated with a Curved Crystal

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7]
  1. Centro de Fisica de Materiales CSIC/UPV-EHU-Materials Physics Center, San Sebastian (Spain); Donostia International Physics Centre, San Sebastian (Spain)
  2. Univ. del Pais Vasco, San Sebastian (Spain)
  3. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  4. CSIC-Univ. de Zaragoza, Zaragoza (Spain)
  5. Donostia International Physics Centre, San Sebastian (Spain); Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao (Spain)
  6. Centro de Fisica de Materiales CSIC/UPV-EHU-Materials Physics Center, San Sebastian (Spain)
  7. 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)
+ Show Author Affiliations

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 Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1434767
Report Number(s):
BNL--203488-2018-JAAM
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. C Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 121; ISSN 1932-7447
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (2)

Structure and electronic states of vicinal Ag(111) surfaces with densely kinked steps journal July 2018
Boron nitride monolayer growth on vicinal Ni(1 1 1) surfaces systematically studied with a curved crystal journal February 2019

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE