Ordered H2O Structures on a Weakly Interacting Surface: A Helium Diffraction Study of H2O/Au(111)
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: In this manuscript we report helium atom scattering (HAS) measurements of the structure of the first H 2 O layer on Au(111). The interaction between H 2 O and Au(111) is believed to be particularly weak, and conflicting evidence from several indirect studies has suggested that water either grows as 3D ice crystals or as an amorphous wetting layer. In contrast, our measurements show that between 110 and 130 K, H 2 O grows as highly commensurate well-ordered islands that only partially wet the gold surface. The islands produce a clear (√3 × √3) R 30° diffraction pattern and are characterized by a well-defined height of ∼5 Å with respect to the surface gold atoms. These findings provide support for a unique “double bi-layer” model, which has recently been suggested for this surface.
DOI: 10.1021/jp405101q
Authors: Gefen Corem, Pepijn R. Kole, Jianding Zhu, Tatyana Kravchuk, J. R. Manson, Gil Alexandrowicz
Institutions: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Clemson University
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2021548605