Electronic origin of the low-symmetry scanning tunneling microscopy image of the layered transition-metal halide [alpha]-RuCl[sub 3]

Journal Article · Thu May 06 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Journal of Physical Chemistry; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/j100120a031· OSTI ID:6235551

Ren, J; Whangbo, M H ^[1]; Bengel, H; Magonov, S N ^[2]

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1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh (United States)
2. Albert-Ludwigs Univ., Freiburg (Germany)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the layered transition-metal halide [alpha]-RuCl[sub 3] show striking differences. The AFM image show a hexagonal symmetry of the surface Cl layer, while the STM images at various tunneling conditions exhibit a strong deviation from the hexagonal symmetry. The STM image was examined by calculating the partial electron density [rho](r[sub 0],e[sub f]), and the AFM image by calculating the total electron density [rho](r[sub 0]), of a single RuCl[sub 3] layer. The patterns of the [rho](r[sub 0],e[sub f]) and [rho](r[sub 0]) plots are similar to those of the STM and AFM images, respectively. The STM images of [alpha]-RuCl[sub 3] for the surface-to-tip and tip-to-surface tunneling processes are similar, because [alpha]-RuCl[sub 3] is a magnetic semiconductor with d[sup 5] ions so that the partially filled levels lying at the top portion of the t[sub 2g]-block bands are involved in both tunneling processes. 19 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

• DOE Contract Number: FG05-86ER45259
• OSTI ID: 6235551
• Journal Information: Journal of Physical Chemistry; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry; (United States) Vol. 97:18; ISSN JPCHAX; ISSN 0022-3654
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360602 -- Other Materials-- Structure & Phase Studies
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201* -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
IONIZATION POTENTIAL
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM CHLORIDES
RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS