Surface structures of stage-1 CuCl sub 2 graphite intercalation compound observed by scanning tunneling microscopy

Journal Article · · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (United States)

OSTI ID:5228497

Olk, C H; Heremans, J ^[1]; Dresselhaus, M S; Speck, J S; Nicholls, J T ^[2]

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1. General Motors Research Labs., Warren, MI (United States)
2. Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (United States)

The authors report a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of a stage-1 graphite intercalation compound (GIC) of approximate stoichiometry C{sub 6}CuCl{sub 2}. When the sample bias is positive with respect to the tip, the authors observe a hexagonal symmetry in which all the atoms of the graphite surface plane are imaged. This is in contrast to the threefold symmetry usually seen in atomic resolution STM images of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), which they also observe on a reference sample of HOPG. The threefold symmetry is attributed to the ABAB stacking of the atomic layers in HOPG. In GICs, this stacking sequence is interrupted by the layer of intercalant, so that for the stage-1 compound all carbon atoms in the plane become equivalent, and sixfold symmetry develops. When the sample is biased negatively with respect to the tip, the authors observe a strikingly different STM image for the GIC; the authors believe that the pattern in this case is mainly due to the intercalate layer and the change in the electronic structure of graphite resulting from the presence of the intercalate layer.

• OSTI ID: 5228497
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (United States) Vol. 9:2; ISSN 0734-211X; ISSN JVTBD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360602* -- Other Materials-- Structure & Phase Studies
AIR
CARBON
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CLATHRATES
COPPER CHLORIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER HALIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
GRAPHITE
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
MATHEMATICS
MICROSCOPY
MINERALS
NONMETALS
TOPOLOGY
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TUNNELING